Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Oakville, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Oakville, MO. How do you hold a driver to blame and receive the best possible compensation for your damages when you have been injured in a hit and run accident? Call the Oakville, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can start fighting for you and winning you the best possible recovery for your Oakville, MO hit and run accident.

When a reckless driver purposefully breaks the rules of the road and injured you or a family member, it is typical to feel dismayed and furious. It is especially upsetting when the at-fault party will not take responsibility for their behavior and runs away from the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be puzzled about who is going to compensate you for the damages to your property and you or your loved one’s injuries. The committed, accomplished and knowledgeable Oakville, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold thoughtless and knowingly irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you grasp the situation and will fight for you to maximize your compensation and put you on the road to recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case evaluation.

In the United States in 2016, 2049 people died in hit and run accidents, which is 62 percent more than 2009. Of those killed, just about 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately 20 percent of pedestrian deaths happen in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident takes place every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury caused by a car accident can be traumatizing and bring about life-long changes or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases intensify your wounds as you may not find medical treatment at once, and you may be unsure of who to turn to or how to seek just compensation for your injuries and damages. Our team of experienced and skilled hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped individuals and families hurt in hit and run accidents in the Oakville, MO area get full recoveries and understand how to maximize your compensation. When you contact us at (314) 500-HURT, we start working on your case right away, and we do not charge any payment until we win your case.

If you have been hurt in a hit and run accident, use our personal injury calculator to see how much you may be able to receive in compensation.

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys: Understanding the Laws in Oakville, MO

If a motorist behaves carelessly and injures you in a hit and run accident, they are not only responsible for your injuries, they are guilty of breaking the law. In Missouri, driving away from the scene of an accident is against the law. When a motorist causes or is involved in an accident, the law requires them to:

• Remain at the scene
• Move their car if it may cause other drivers to crash, otherwise, wait until instructed by police
• Attend to anyone who is hurt
• Call the Oakville, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in bad weather
• Swap contact info and insurance information with others involved
• Stay at the crash site until a police officer tells them differently

Additionally, an accident report must be filed if damages exceed $500 or the accident leads to injury or death.

Missouri Statute 577.060 classifies “leaving the scene of an accident" as a Class A Misdemeanor, which is the most serious misdemeanor offense and carries a maximum penalty of one year in a local jail and a fine of $2,000. However, leaving the scene turns into a Class E Felony if any of the three conditions listed are met:

1. Physical injury was caused by another party;
2. Over $1,000 in damages was caused to another party’s property; or
3. The defendant has previously left the scene of a hit and run accident.

A hit and run becomes a Class D Felony if the accident is fatal and leads to somebody’s death. While it is encouraging that we have laws against hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the negligent driver will not get you the money you are entitled to. They may be found guilty in front of the Oakville, MO criminal court, but you need accomplished and committed hit and run accident attorneys like we have at Burger Law who will insist that you get the best possible recovery you need to heal. When you hire us, we get started on your case immediately and are relentless until we win. You do not owe us a dime until we win your case and we will fight tirelessly to ensure the at-fault party accepts complete responsibility for their careless behavior.

Dos and Do Nots After Being in a Hit and Run Accident

While being in any accident is terrifying and can leave you feeling unprotected, it can be especially stressful if the responsible party disregards the rules of the road and flees the crash site. The rules were enacted for a reason, and it is disappointing and startling when someone breaks those rules and acts selfishly and recklessly. The devoted and skilled Oakville, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold thoughtless drivers accountable and win you the compensation you are owed. It is important to know what to do and what not to do directly following your accident, so you can increase your odds of getting the best possible compensation:

• DO NOT leave the accident site yourself. You might think the damages are too insignificant to want to deal with the inconvenience, or you may be afraid that you are partly responsible. Leaving the scene of a crash will make it much more difficult for you to be awarded compensation for your damages, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical attention. The health and safety of everybody present should be your foremost worry. If you or somebody else is harmed, try to keep them in a stable condition and wait for Oakville, MO emergency services to come and give aid.
• DO NOT wait to call the police. Missouri law says that you have to call the police in any crash that results in over $500 worth of damages or causes physical injury or death. Even if you are not sure what the degree of the damages or injuries are immediately, having a police report will help immeasurably in proving your case.
• DO NOT follow the driver. After being hit by another vehicle in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are natural reactions. You may be tempted to follow the driver and find out who caused your accident. That is Oakville, MO law enforcement’s job. Chasing after the other driver not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at increased risk, but it will hold you back from being able to get valuable information and may even make the police suspicious of you.
• DO safely learn what you are able to about the irresponsible driver and vehicle. To do so, you can:
  • Take pictures. If you did not sustain a serious injury and can get hold of your phone before the car is completely gone, take as many pictures as you are able to. Even if you cannot get an entire license plate number, just part of the license plate and/or the make, model and color of the car will be incredibly helpful in finding the driver. It also helps to take pictures of any tire marks or other damage to the accident site.
  • Speak to witnesses. Other people in the area might have been able to see more than you did, or will be able to validate your version of events. Be sure to get their contact information so a claims adjuster, law enforcement officer or Oakville, MO hit and run accident lawyer will be able to reach out to them later.
  • Write down everything you can. If you did not have time or the ability to take photographs, anything you could observe about the other car or driver will be easier to remember immediately following the collision, and those details will still be of great help to law enforcement and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Oakville, MO insurance company. If the driver is never located, you will have to make an uninsured motorist claim with your own insurance company.
• DO call Burger Law at (314) 500-HURT at once. Our talented and experienced hit and run accident attorneys will help you gather evidence, including acquiring close by surveillance footage and contacting witnesses for complete depositions. We work with a network of Oakville, MO car accident experts who will be able to reconstruct the accident and show exactly how the at-fault party caused your injuries.

Below are some helpful links and frequently asked questions for hit and runs and other kinds of car accidents:

Hit and Run Cases in Missouri

In the best case scenarios, police and/or your hit and run accident attorneys will be able to locate the negligent driver that caused your damages and hold them accountable for their dangerous behavior. In those cases, the aggressive and talented Oakville, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make sure you are awarded full compensation from the driver and their insurance company.

Uninsured Motorist Claims in Hit and Run Accidents

In Missouri, drivers need to have uninsured motorist insurance. If you cannot find the aat-fault driver after a hit and run accident, you and your hit and run accident attorneys will need to utilize this part of your policy to make a claim against your own insurance company. In Oakville, MO, there are four specifications that are required to be met so that you can make this claim:

1. You received bodily injuries
2. The injuries happened as a result of an uninsured motorist, or in the case a motorist you are unable to identify
3. You are legally owed compensation from the at-fault driver
4. All other limits of applicable policies have been exhausted by payment or settlement

In these cases, your own Oakville, MO insurance company acts as a stand in for the responsible party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your injuries. However, like many insurance companies, they may still have to be persuaded to pay. To have the best opportunity to receive the best possible compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need experienced and knowledgeable Oakville, MO hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law to fight for you. We have been resisting insurance companies and other bullies for over 20 years, and will not back down until your own insurance company pays you back the money you have likely been paying into their policies for years.

Whether the at fault driver is identified or not, the hit and run accident attorneys at Burger law will make sure you get the full compensation that you are owed. When you sustain injuries because somebody else broke the rules of the road, you deserve maximum compensation for all of damages you have experienced owing to the accident, for instance: your medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life. No matter how severe your injuries, we demand that you are compensated for all the money you are entitled to. If you or a loved one in Oakville, MO has been injured in a hit and run accident, call Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online.

Causes of Hit and Run Accidents

It is any driver’s legal and social obligation to stay at a crash site. When someone runs away from the scene of a hit and run accident, it is because they are more worried about the repercussions for themselves than any damage or injury their negligent actions caused. There are a variety of reasons the liable party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In Oakville, MO, not having proper insurance can result in you having your license suspended for up to a year, paying a $400 reinstatement fee, a $500 fine and/or up to 15 days in jail. "No insurance" tickets are also never removed from a Oakville, MO driver’s record.

• The driver does not have a driver’s license, or has a suspended license

  This also carries crushing penalties and can be either a Class A misdemeanor or a Class E felony, based on whether you have been caught without a valid license before.

• A drunk driver or a driver otherwise under the influence of drugs

  A DWI is a criminal charge that can also carry fines, jail time, and having your license revoked.

• The driver may have a warrant out for their arrest

  It probably is not surprising that people who already fear an interaction with law enforcement would risk breaking the law again to flee the scene of an accident.

• Distracted driving

  Driving while not focusing on the road is thoughtless and dangerous. People can become distracted if they are texting, eating, looking at directions, drowsy or just have their head in the clouds.

• Lack of potential witnesses or low lighting

  A driver may flee a crash site simply because they think they will not be caught. Hit and run accidents are 4.5 times more probable between midnight and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the Oakville, MO streets or sidewalks.

• A panicked driver

  Sometimes the driver has a clean record but simply leaves the accident because they are afraid and do not want to get in trouble. Occasionally, these drivers turn themselves in after they have calmed down.

While we cannot control how other people drive, we can take some precautions as both drivers and pedestrians. Try to avoid walking in areas with bad lighting at night, and when you are driving, never lose focus and never take for granted that leaving the scene of an accident is the best option.

Whatever the reason a driver chooses to leave the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have thought that the pros of running outweighed the cons. The Oakville, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will make them pay and make certain they understand they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in Oakville, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many differing situations. We demand full compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not let up until you receive the money you are owed to put you on the road to healing. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a complimentary case review and so we can get started on your case right away.

The Oakville, MO lawyers of Burger Law have the experience and knowledge to help you receive the full recovery you deserve after any accident or injury caused by someone else leaves you injured. Learn more about our fields of expertise below.

• Truck Crash Lawyers in Missouri
• Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer in Missouri

If you or a family member experienced injuries in a Oakville, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, outraged, and overwhelmed. Injuries and their related expenses can upend your life. Burger Law is here to help you recover. When you hire our team of Oakville, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting for you right away. We insist that the liable parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we insist on getting you full compensation to help you in your recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary consultation to take the first step in getting your life back on track.