Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Parkville, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Parkville, MO. How do you hold a driver accountable and get maximum compensation for your damages when you have been injured in a hit and run accident? Call the Parkville, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law straight away at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can start fighting for you and securing for you a great recovery for your Parkville, MO hit and run accident.

When a reckless driver consciously breaks the rules of the road and injured you or someone you care about, it is typical to feel appalled and furious. It is particularly unnerving when the liable party refuses to take responsibility for their behavior and runs away from the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be wondering who is going to compensate you for the damages to your property and you or your loved one’s injuries. The dedicated, veteran and knowledgeable Parkville, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold careless and consciously irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you grasp the situation and will fight for you to maximize your compensation and get you on the journey to recovery. Call us right away 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 was a 62 percent increase from 2009. Of those killed, nearly 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately one in five pedestrian deaths take place in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident transpires every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury arising from a car accident can be traumatizing and bring about life-long consequence or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases amplify that trauma as you may not find medical treatment right away, and you may not know who to trust or how to seek equitable compensation for your injuries and damages. Our group of veteran and adept hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped individuals and families harmed in hit and run accidents in the Parkville, MO area get great recoveries and know how to maximize your compensation. When you reach out to us at (314) 500-HURT, we start work on your case right away, and we do not charge any payment until we win your case.

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

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

If somebody behaves irresponsibly and hurts you in a hit and run accident, they are not only to blame for your injuries, they are a lawbreaker. In Missouri, leaving the scene of an accident is a crime. When a driver causes or is involved in an accident, the law dictates that they must:

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

Furthermore, an accident report has to be filed if damages exceed $500 or the accident results in injury or a fatality.

Missouri Statute 577.060 categorizes “leaving the scene of an accident" as a Class A Misdemeanor, which is the most serious type of misdemeanor 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 these three conditions 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 was previously found guilty of leaving 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 deterring hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the reckless driver will not get you the recovery you are entitled to. They may be found culpable in front of the Parkville, MO criminal court, but you need skilled and committed hit and run accident attorneys like we have at Burger Law who will fight on your behalf until you get the maximum recovery you need to recover. When you hire us, we start working on your case straight away and do not let up. We do not charge any fees until we win your case and we will represent you aggressively to make sure the negligent party accepts full responsibility for their thoughtless behavior.

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

While being in any crash is frightening and can leave you feeling helpless, it can be particularly stressful if the negligent driver disregards the rules and leaves the crash site. The rules were enacted for a reason, and it is disappointing and startling when someone does not respect those rules and behaves carelessly and recklessly. The dedicated and talented Parkville, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold reckless drivers responsible and secure you the money 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 scene yourself. You could think the damages are too small to want to deal with the hassle, or you may be anxious that you are partly responsible. Leaving the location of an accident will make it much more difficult for you to receive compensation for your injuries, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical care. The health and safety of everybody present should be your principal concern. If you or somebody else is injured, do your best to keep them in a stable condition and wait for Parkville, MO emergency services to get there and provide aid.
• DO NOT wait to call the police. Missouri law requires you to call the police in any accident that results in over $500 worth of damages or leads to bodily injury or death. Even if you are not sure what the degree of the damages or injuries are at that moment, having a police report will help immeasurably in making your case.
• DO NOT follow the driver. When you are hit by another vehicle in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are natural reactions. You may be motivated to follow the driver and find out who they are. That is Parkville, MO law enforcement’s responsibility. Chasing after the other motorist not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at more risk, but it will hamper you 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 reckless driver and vehicle. To do this, you can:
  • Take photographs. If you are not seriously injured and can get hold of your phone before the car vanishes from sight, take as many pictures as possible. Even if you cannot get complete license plate number, just part of the number and/or the make, model and color of the car will be incredibly helpful in locating the driver. It also helps to take photographs of any tire marks or other damage to the crash site.
  • Speak to witnesses. Other people at the scene might have been able to see more than you did, or will be able to verify your story. Be sure to get their contact information so an insurance company, police officer or Parkville, 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 pictures, anything you noticed about the other car or driver will be easier to remember immediately following the crash, and those details will still be incredibly helpful to law enforcement and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Parkville, MO insurance company. In the event that the driver cannot be located, you will have to make an uninsured motorist claim with your own insurance company.
• DO call Burger Law at (314) 500-HURT straight away. Our skilled and accomplished hit and run accident attorneys will assist in gathering evidence, including acquiring adjacent surveillance footage and contacting witnesses for complete depositions. We work alongside a network of Parkville, MO car accident experts who will be able to reconstruct the accident and show exactly how the liable party caused your injuries.

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

Hit and Run Cases in Missouri

The ideal scenario is that police and/or your hit and run accident attorneys will be able to discover the negligent driver that caused your injuries and hold them accountable for their thoughtless driving. In those cases, the tenacious and expert Parkville, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will ensure you receive full compensation from the driver and their insurance company.

Uninsured Motorist Claims in Hit and Run Accidents

In Missouri, drivers are required to have uninsured motorist insurance. If you are unable to locate the anegligent 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 pursue compensation from your own insurance company. In Parkville, MO, there are four specifications that need to be met so that you can make this claim:

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

In these cases, your own Parkville, MO insurance company acts as a substitute for the at-fault party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your injuries. However, like any insurance companies, they may still have to be convinced to pay. To have the best odds at receiving great compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need experienced and expert Parkville, MO hit and run accident attorneys like we have at Burger Law to fight on your behalf. We have been standing up to insurance companies and other bullies for over 20 years, and will not relent until your own insurance company reimburses you for the money you have probably 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 ensure you get the full recovery that you are owed. When you are harmed because another driver disregarded the rules of the road, you are entitled to maximum compensation for all of damages you have sustained because of the accident, including: your medical costs, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and reduced capacity to enjoy life. No matter how severe your injuries, we insist that you are compensated for all the money you deserve. If you or a loved one in Parkville, 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 every driver’s legal and ethical duty to stay at the scene of a crash. When someone leaves the scene of a hit and run accident, it is because they are more concerned about the repercussions for themselves than any damage or harm their negligent behavior caused. There are many reasons the liable party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In Parkville, MO, not having appropriate 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 Parkville, MO driver’s record.

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

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

• A drunk driver or a driver that was under the influence of drugs

  A DWI is a criminal charge that can also carry fines, jail time, and getting 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 an accident site.

• Distracted driving

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

• Lack of potential witnesses or low lighting

  A driver may leave the scene of an accident simply because they think they will not be caught. Hit and run accidents are 4.5 times more likely to happen between midnight and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the Parkville, MO roads or sidewalks.

• A panicked driver

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

While we cannot control what other drivers do on the road, we can take some precautions as both drivers and pedestrians. Try to avoid walking in poorly lit areas at night, and when you are driving, never get distracted and never take for granted that leaving the scene of an accident is the best choice.

Regardless of the reason a driver chooses to flee the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have presupposed the pros of fleeing outweighed the cons. The Parkville, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will hold them accountable and make certain they see they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in Parkville, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many different circumstances. We demand maximum compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not let up until you recover the money you deserve to put you on the road to being made whole again. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a complimentary case review and so we can begin working on your case right away.

The Parkville, 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 sustained injuries in a Parkville, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, outraged, and anxious. Injuries and their related costs can upend your life. Burger Law is here to help you recover. When you hire our team of Parkville, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting by your side immediately. We demand the responsible parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we insist on getting you full compensation to aid you in your recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary case evaluation to take the first step in getting your life back on track.