Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Pulaski County, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Pulaski 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 Pulaski County, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can start fighting for you and securing for you a full recovery for your Pulaski County, MO hit and run accident.

When a reckless driver consciously breaks the rules of the road and hurts you or someone you care about, it is common to feel dismayed and indignant. It is especially upsetting when the reckless party will not 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 reimburse you for the damages to your property and you or your loved one’s injuries. The committed, experienced and talented Pulaski County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold dangerous and willfully irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you understand the situation and will fight by your side to maximize your compensation and put you on the journey to healing. Call us right away at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case review.

In the United States in 2016, 2049 people died in hit and run accidents, which is 62 percent more than 2009. Of those killed, about 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 an auto wreck can be traumatizing and create life-long consequence or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases exacerbate that trauma as you may not receive 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 experienced and adept hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped individuals and families harmed in hit and run accidents in the Pulaski County, MO area get full recoveries and know how to maximize your compensation. When you contact us at (314) 500-HURT, we start work on your case straight away, and we do not collect any fees until we win your claim.

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 recover in compensation.

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

If someone else behaves negligently and injures you in a hit and run accident, they are not only responsible for your injuries, they are a lawbreaker. In Missouri, driving away from the scene of an accident is against the law. When a motorist causes or is involved in an accident, they are required by law to:

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

Furthermore, an accident report needs to be filed if damages exceed $500 or the accident leads to injury or a fatality.

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 becomes a Class E Felony if any of the following 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 has previously left the scene of a hit and run accident.

A hit and run becomes a Class D Felony if the accident becomes fatal and causes 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 money you deserve. They may be found guilty in front of the Pulaski County, MO criminal court, but you need accomplished and dedicated hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law who will demand that you get the maximum recovery you need to heal. When you hire us, we start working on your case immediately and do not give up. We do not charge any fees until we win your case and we will fight tirelessly to ensure the negligent party accepts complete responsibility for their reckless actions.

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

While being in any accident is terrifying and can leave you feeling helpless, it can be particularly nerve wracking if the at fault driver breaks the law and flees the crash site. The rules exist for a reason, and it is discouraging and frightening when someone disregards those rules and acts selfishly and dangerously. The devoted and accomplished Pulaski County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold careless drivers responsible and recover for you the compensation you deserve. 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 flee the scene yourself. You may think the damages are too insignificant to want to deal with the nuisance, or you may be nervous that you are in some measure at fault. Leaving the location of an accident will make it much more complicated for you to get compensation for your damages, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical care. The health and safety of everyone present should be your primary concern. If you or somebody else is injured, focus on keeping them in a stable condition and wait for Pulaski County, MO emergency services to arrive and give aid.
• DO NOT wait to call the police. Missouri law requires you to call the police in any crash that leads to over $500 worth of damages or results in physical injury or a fatality. Even if you are not sure what the degree of the damages or injuries are right away, having a police report will go a long way in winning your case.
• DO NOT pursue the driver. When you are hit by another vehicle in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are natural reactions. You may want to follow the driver and find out who is responsible. That is Pulaski County, MO law enforcement’s job. Chasing after the other person not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at further risk, but it will hamper you from being able to get important information and may even make the police suspicious of you.
• DO safely find out what you are able to about the at-fault driver and vehicle. To do so, you can:
  • Take pictures. If you are not badly injured and can take out your phone before the car you cannot see the car anymore, take as many photos as you can. Even if you cannot get a full license plate number, a partial number 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 photos of any tire marks or other damage to the crash site.
  • Talk to witnesses. Other people in the area might have had a better view than you, or will be able to validate your story. Make sure to get their contact information so an insurance company, law enforcement officer or Pulaski 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 pictures, 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 very helpful to the police and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Pulaski 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 at once. Our savvy and expert hit and run accident attorneys will help you collect evidence, including acquiring adjacent surveillance video and contacting witnesses for complete depositions. We work alongside a network of Pulaski County, MO car accident experts who will be able to recreate the accident and demonstrate exactly how the negligible party caused your injuries.

Below are some helpful links and frequently asked questions for hit and runs and other types 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 find the liable driver that caused your damages and hold them accountable for their irresponsible actions. In those cases, the determined and skilled Pulaski County, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make certain you recover 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 track down 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 Pulaski County, MO, there are four criteria that need to be met in order for you to make this claim:

1. You received 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 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 Pulaski County, MO insurance company takes the place of the responsible party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your injuries. However, like other insurance companies, they may still need convincing before they pay you. To have the best opportunity to receive full compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need experienced and savvy Pulaski County, MO hit and run accident attorneys like we have at Burger Law to fight by your side. We have been challenging insurance companies and other bullies for over 20 years, and will not give in until your own insurance company pays you back the money you have certainly been paying into their policies for years.

Whether the at fault driver is located or not, the hit and run accident attorneys at Burger law will make sure you get the maximum amount of compensation that you deserve. When you are harmed because somebody else broke the rules of the road, you are entitled to maximum compensation for all of damages you have sustained as a result of the accident, such as: your medical costs, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and reduced capacity to enjoy life. No matter how serious your injuries, we insist that you are compensated for all the money you are owed. If you or a loved one in Pulaski 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 every driver’s legal and social responsibility to remain at a crash site. When someone flees 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 at-fault party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In Pulaski County, MO, not having adequate insurance can cause you to have 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 Pulaski County, MO driver’s record.

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

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

• A drunk driver or a driver otherwise impaired by drugs

  A DWI is a criminal charge that can also carry fines, jail time, and revocation of a license.

• 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 run away from an accident site.

• Distracted driving

  Driving while not giving full attention to 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 leave the scene of an accident simply because they think they can do so without any consequences. Hit and run accidents are 4.5 times more frequent between midnight and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the Pulaski 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 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 assume that leaving the scene of an accident is the best option.

Whatever the reason a driver decides to flee the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have presumed the pros of fleeing outweighed the cons. The Pulaski County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will hold them responsible and ensure they understand they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in Pulaski County, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many differing situations. We insist on full compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not stop fighting for you until you are awarded the money you are owed to put you on the path to healing. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a complimentary consultation and so we can start working on your case right away.

The Pulaski 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.

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

If you or a family member experienced injuries in a Pulaski County, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, outraged, and anxious. Injuries and their related costs can disrupt your life. Burger Law is here to help you heal. When you hire our team of Pulaski County, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting for you at once. We insist that the liable parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we insist on getting you great 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.