Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Ray County, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Ray County, MO. How do you hold a driver responsible and collect maximum compensation for your damages when you have been injured in a hit and run crash? Call the Ray County, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law right away at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can start working for you and winning you a full recovery for your Ray County, MO hit and run accident.

When a dangerous driver purposefully breaks the rules of the road and injured you or someone you care about, it is typical to feel appalled and furious. It is especially perturbing when the negligent party refuses to take responsibility for their behavior and flees the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be pondering 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 Ray County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold reckless and willfully 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 journey to healing. Call us immediately 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 crashes, which was a 62 percent increase from 2009. Of the fatalities, just about 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately one in five pedestrian deaths occur in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident happens every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury resulting from a car crash can be traumatizing and bring about life-long changes or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases aggravate your wounds as you may not find medical care immediately, and you may be unsure of who to turn to or how to secure equitable compensation for your injuries and damages. Our group of veteran and skilled hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped individuals and families hurt in hit and run accidents in the Ray County, MO area get great recoveries and understand how to maximize your compensation. When you contact us at (314) 500-HURT, we start work on your case at once, and you do not owe us any payment until we win your case.

If you have been harmed in a hit and run accident, use our personal injury calculator to see how much your damages may be worth.

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

If someone else drives recklessly and injures you in a hit and run accident, they are not only to blame 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 accident site
• 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 Ray 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 scene until a police officer tells them differently

Additionally, an accident report has to be filed if damages exceed $500 or the accident results in injury or death.

Missouri Statute 577.060 classifies “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 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 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 becomes fatal and results in somebody’s death. While it is comforting that we have laws deterring hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the negligent driver will not get you the money you deserve. They may be found responsible before the Ray County, MO criminal court, but you need knowledgeable and committed hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law who will demand that you get the full recovery you need to recover. When you hire us, we start working on your case at once and work tenaciously until we win. You do not owe us a dime until we win your case and we will represent you aggressively to ensure the at-fault party accepts complete responsibility for their harmful actions.

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

While being in any crash is terrifying and can leave you feeling helpless, it can be especially stressful if the at fault individual disregards the rules and flees the scene. The rules are in place for a reason, and it is discouraging and frightening when someone breaks those rules and behaves thoughtlessly and irresponsibly. The dedicated and talented Ray County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold careless drivers accountable and win 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 minor to want to deal with the inconvenience, or you may be afraid that you are in some measure at fault. Leaving the scene of an accident will make it much more difficult for you to be awarded compensation for your injuries, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical attention. Your chief concern should be your health and safety and the health and safety of anyone else in your car or involved in the accident. If you or somebody else is harmed, do your best to keep them in a stable condition and wait for Ray County, MO emergency services to get there and provide aid.
• DO NOT wait to call the police. Missouri law dictates that you have to call the police in any crash that leads to over $500 worth of damages or causes bodily injury or a fatality. Even if you are unsure of the degree of the damages or injuries are at that moment, having a police report will help immeasurably in proving your case.
• DO NOT pursue the driver. When you are hit by another auto in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are common reactions. You may be motivated to follow the driver and find out who hit you. That is Ray County, MO law enforcement’s responsibility. Chasing after the other motorist not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at further risk, but it will hold you back from being able to get important information and may even cause the police to suspect you.
• DO safely learn what you are able to about the reckless driver and vehicle. To do this, you can:
  • Take photos. If you did not sustain a serious injury and can get hold of your phone before the car vanishes from sight, take as many pictures as you are able to. 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 incredibly helpful in determining who the driver was. It also helps to take photographs of any tire marks or other damage to the area of the crash.
  • Talk to witnesses. Other people at the scene might have been able to see more than you did, or will be able to corroborate your story. Make sure to get their contact information so a claims adjuster, law enforcement officer or Ray County, MO hit and run accident attorney will be able to contact them at a later date.
  • Write down everything you can. If you did not have time or the ability to take photos, anything you could observe about the other car or driver will be fresher in your memory immediately after the crash, and those details will still be of great help to the police and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Ray County, MO insurance company. In the event that the driver cannot be located, you will need to make an uninsured motorist claim with your own insurance company.
• DO call Burger Law at (314) 500-HURT right away. Our savvy and veteran hit and run accident attorneys will assist in collecting evidence, including obtaining close by surveillance video and getting in touch with witnesses for full statements. We work with a network of Ray County, MO car accident experts who will be able to reconstruct the crash and prove exactly how the at-fault party caused your injuries.

Listed here 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 discover the negligent driver that caused your damages and hold them responsible for their dangerous driving. In those cases, the aggressive and skilled Ray County, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make certain you get the best possible 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 cannot locate the aliable 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 damages from your own insurance company. In Ray County, MO, there are four specifications that are required to be met in order for you to make this claim:

1. You sustained bodily injuries
2. The injuries happened as a result of an uninsured motorist, or in the case a motorist you cannot 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 Ray County, MO insurance company takes the place of the responsible party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your injuries. However, like any insurance companies, they may still need convincing before they pay you. To have the best opportunity to receive great compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need experienced and knowledgeable Ray County, MO hit and run accident attorneys like we have at Burger Law to fight by your side. 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 pays you back the money you have probably been paying into their policies for a long time.

Whether the at fault driver is tracked down or not, the hit and run accident attorneys at Burger law will make sure you get the full recovery that you are owed. When you get hurt because another driver disregarded the rules of the road, you deserve a full recovery for all of damages you have received owing to the accident, such as: your medical costs, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life. No matter how serious your injuries, we demand that you are compensated for every dollar you deserve. If you or a family member in Ray County, MO has been harmed 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 the scene of a crash. When someone drives away from the scene of a hit and run accident, it is because they care more about the repercussions for themselves than any damage or injury their irresponsible behavior caused. There are a wide array reasons the at-fault party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In Ray County, MO, not having proper 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 also remain on a Ray 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 discovered 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 having your license revoked.

• The driver may have a warrant out for their arrest

  It probably is not surprising that people who have already committed a crime would risk breaking the law again to flee a crash site.

• Distracted driving

  Driving while not paying full attention to the road is careless and dangerous. People can become distracted if they are texting, eating, looking at directions, dozing off or are just daydreaming.

• Lack of potential witnesses or low lighting

  A driver may flee an accident site simply because they think they will not be caught. Hit and run accidents are 4.5 times more probable between 12AM and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the Ray 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. Sometimes, these drivers turn themselves in once they have calmed down.

While we cannot control how other people drive, we can take some safety measures 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.

Regardless of the reason a driver opts to leave the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have assumed the pros of running outweighed the cons. The Ray County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will make them pay and make certain they know they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in Ray County, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many varying situations. We insist on great compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not rest until you get the money you deserve to put you on the journey to recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a complimentary consultation and so we can get started on your case right away.

The Ray 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 a loved one sustained injuries in a Ray County, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, livid, and overwhelmed. Injuries and their related bills can upend your life. Burger Law is here to help make you whole again. When you hire our team of Ray County, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting by your side straight away. We insist that the at-fault parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we demand that you are awarded maximum compensation to help you in your recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case evaluation to take the first step in getting your life back on track.