Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Pettis County, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Pettis County, MO. How do you hold a driver to blame and get full compensation for your damages when you have been hurt in a hit and run crash? Call the Pettis County, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can begin fighting for you and getting you a great recovery for your Pettis County, MO hit and run accident.

When a reckless driver intentionally breaks the rules of the road and injured you or someone you care about, it is common to feel dismayed and indignant. It is particularly perturbing when the reckless party declines to take responsibility for their reckless driving 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 family member's injuries. The dedicated, experienced and knowledgeable Pettis County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold reckless and consciously irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you comprehend the situation and will fight by your side to maximize your recovery and put you on the road to recovery. Call us now at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.

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, just about 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately 20 percent of pedestrian deaths transpire in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident takes place every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury resulting from a car wreck can be traumatizing and produce life-long changes or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases intensify that trauma as you may not receive medical treatment immediately, and you may not know who to turn to or how to seek equitable compensation for your injuries and damages. Our group of accomplished and talented hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped individuals and families hurt in hit and run accidents in the Pettis County, 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 at once, and we do not charge any fees until we win your case.

If you have been harmed in a hit and run accident, check out 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 Pettis County, MO

If someone else drives negligently and hurts you in a hit and run accident, they are not only culpable for your injuries, they are a lawbreaker. In Missouri, leaving the scene of an accident is a crime. When a motorist causes or is involved in an accident, the law requires them to:

• Stay at the scene
• Move their car if it dangerous to other drivers, otherwise, wait for instructions from police
• Help anyone who is hurt
• Call the Pettis County, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in bad weather
• Trade contact info and insurance information with anybody involved
• Stay at the accident site until a police officer tells them differently

Additionally, an accident report needs to be filed if damages exceed $500 or the accident causes 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 becomes a Class E Felony if any of the three conditions below 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 crash becomes fatal and results in somebody’s death. While it is encouraging that we have laws discouraging hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the negligent driver will not get you the money you deserve. They may be found responsible in the Pettis County, MO criminal court, but you need accomplished and committed hit and run accident attorneys like those at Burger Law who will fight by your side until you get the best possible recovery you need to make you whole again. When you hire us, we get started on your case at once and do not give up. We do not charge any fees until we win your case and we will fight tirelessly to make sure the negligent party accepts full responsibility for their dangerous actions.

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

While being in any accident is frightening and can leave you feeling helpless, it can be particularly nerve wracking if the negligent driver disregards the rules of the road and flees the crash site. The rules are in place for a reason, and it is disheartening and frightening when someone does not respect those rules and drives selfishly and irresponsibly. The devoted and skilled Pettis County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold careless drivers responsible and get you the compensation you are entitled to. 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 might think the damages are too small to want to deal with the nuisance, or you may worry that you are in some measure responsible. Leaving the location of an accident will make it much more complicated for you to collect compensation for your injuries, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical treatment. The health and safety of everyone present should be your foremost worry. If you or somebody else is harmed, try to keep them in a stable condition and wait for Pettis County, MO emergency services to get there and render aid.
• DO NOT wait to call the police. Missouri law says that you have to call the police in any crash that leads to over $500 worth of damages or causes bodily injury or death. Even if you are not certain what the scope of the damages or injuries are immediately, having a police report will go a long way in proving your case.
• DO NOT go after the driver. When you are hit by another auto in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are natural reactions. You may be motivated to follow the driver and find out who is responsible. That is Pettis County, MO law enforcement’s job. Going on a wild goose chase not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at increased risk, but it will impede you from being able to get necessary information and may even make the police suspicious of you.
• DO safely find out what you can about the at-fault driver and vehicle. To do this, you can:
  • Take photographs. If you are not badly injured and can take out your phone before the car vanishes from sight, take as many photographs as possible. Even if you cannot get a full license plate number, just part of the license plate and/or the make, model and color of the car will be a great help in discovering who the driver was. It is also useful to take pictures of any tire marks or other damage at the scene of the accident.
  • Speak to witnesses. Other people at the scene might have been able to see more than you did, or will be able to confirm your story. Make sure to get their contact information so an insurance company, law enforcement officer or Pettis County, MO hit and run accident attorney 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, any knowledge you have of the other car or driver will be fresher in your memory immediately following the accident, and those details will still be very useful to law enforcement and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Pettis County, 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 right away. Our savvy and experienced hit and run accident attorneys will help you gather evidence, including acquiring nearby surveillance video and reaching out to witnesses for complete depositions. We work alongside a network of Pettis County, MO car accident experts who will be able to reconstruct the crash and show exactly how the at-fault party caused your injuries.

Here are some helpful links and frequently asked questions for hit and runs and other types 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 locate the liable driver that caused your damages and hold them accountable for their thoughtless actions. In those cases, the aggressive and knowledgeable Pettis County, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make certain you get full compensation from the driver and their insurance company.

Uninsured Motorist Claims in Hit and Run Accidents

In Missouri, motorists need to have uninsured motorist insurance. If you cannot locate the aliable driver after a hit and run accident, you and your hit and run accident attorneys will need to use this part of your policy to make a claim against your own insurance company. In Pettis County, MO, there are four standards that are required to be met so that you can make this claim:

1. You sustained bodily injuries
2. You sustained the injuries due to 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 Pettis County, MO insurance company acts as a substitute for the at-fault party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your damages. However, like many insurance companies, they may still have to be convinced to pay. To have the best opportunity to receive maximum compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need seasoned and savvy Pettis County, MO hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law to fight on your behalf. We have been pushing back against insurance companies and other bullies for over 20 years, and will not give in until your own insurance company reimburses you for the money you have probably been paying into their policies for a long time.

Whether the at fault driver is located or not, the hit and run accident attorneys at Burger law will make certain you get the full recovery that you deserve. When you get hurt 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 example: 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 owed. If you or a family member in Pettis County, 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 ethical obligation to remain at the scene of an accident. When someone leaves the scene of a hit and run accident, it is because they are more concerned about the consequences for themselves than any damage or injury their reckless 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 Pettis County, MO, not having adequate 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 Pettis County, 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, depending on whether you have been caught without a valid license before.

• A drunk driver or a driver that was impaired by 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 might not be surprising that people who have already committed a crime would risk breaking the law again to run away from the scene of an accident.

• Distracted driving

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

• Lack of potential witnesses or low lighting

  A driver may leave an accident site simply because they think they can do so without any repercussions. Hit and run accidents are 4.5 times more likely to occur between midnight and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the Pettis County, 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 want to get in trouble. often, 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 lose focus and never assume that leaving the scene of an accident is the best decision.

No matter the reason a driver decides to flee the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have presumed the benefits of running outweighed the cons. The Pettis County, 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 Pettis County, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many differing scenarios. We insist on full compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not let up until you are awarded the money you are owed to put you on the journey 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 Pettis County, 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 someone you care about sustained injuries in a Pettis County, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, livid, and vulnerable. Injuries and their related bills can disrupt your life. Burger Law is here to help you recover. When you hire our team of Pettis County, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting by your side at once. We demand the liable parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we demand that you collect the best possible compensation to help you in your recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary case review to take the first step in getting your life back on track.