Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Raymore, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Raymore, MO. How do you hold a driver to blame and get the best possible compensation for your damages when you have been hurt in a hit and run crash? Call the Raymore, 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 great recovery for your Raymore, MO hit and run accident.

When a dangerous driver knowingly breaks the rules of the road and hurts you or someone you care about, it is typical to feel shocked and angry. It is particularly distressing when the reckless party declines to take responsibility for their behavior and flees the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be asking yourself who is going to pay for the damages to your property and you or your family member's injuries. The devoted, experienced and knowledgeable Raymore, 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 by your side to maximize your compensation and put you on the road 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 is 62 percent more than 2009. Of those who died, almost 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately one in five pedestrian deaths happen in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident occurs every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury resulting from an auto wreck can be traumatizing and cause life-long consequence or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases amplify that trauma as you may not receive medical care at once, and you may not be certain who to trust or how to collect just compensation for your injuries and damages. Our group of seasoned and knowledgeable hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped individuals and families injured in hit and run accidents in the Raymore, MO area get full recoveries and understand how to maximize your compensation. When you contact us at (314) 500-HURT, we begin work on your case immediately, and we do not collect any fees until we win your suit.

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

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

If a driver drives negligently and injures you in a hit and run accident, they are not only culpable for your injuries, they are guilty of a criminal act. 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:

• Stay at the accident site
• Move their car if it may cause other drivers to crash, otherwise, wait for instructions from police
• Supply aid to anyone who is hurt
• Call the Raymore, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in inclement weather
• Swap contact info and insurance information with other people involved
• Remain at the accident site until a police officer tells them they can leave

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

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 county 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 crash is fatal and causes somebody’s death. While it is reassuring 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 Raymore, MO criminal court, but you need knowledgeable and committed hit and run accident attorneys like we have at Burger Law who will demand that you get the full recovery you need to heal. When you hire us, we get started on your case straight away and are relentless until we win. We do not charge any fees until we win your case and we will represent you aggressively to ensure the at-fault party accepts full responsibility for their reckless actions.

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

While being in any accident is scary and can leave you feeling unprotected, it can be particularly nerve wracking if the negligent party disregards the rules of the road and leaves the accident site. The rules are in place for a reason, and it is discouraging and startling when someone breaks those rules and behaves carelessly and recklessly. The dedicated and knowledgeable Raymore, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold reckless drivers responsible 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 scene yourself. You could think the damages are too insignificant to want to deal with the inconvenience, or you may be anxious that you are partly responsible. Leaving the scene of a crash will make it much harder for you to receive compensation for your injuries, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical care. Your principal concern should be your health and safety and the health and safety of everybody 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 Raymore, MO emergency services to get there and provide aid.
• DO NOT hesitate to call the police. Missouri law requires you to call the police in any accident that leads to over $500 worth of damages or leads to physical harm or a fatality. Even if you do not know the scope of the damages or injuries are immediately, having a police report will go a long way in making your case.
• DO NOT follow the driver. When you are hit by another car in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are natural reactions. You may be motivated to follow the driver and find out who hit you. That is Raymore, MO law enforcement’s responsibility. 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 important information and may even make the police suspicious of you.
• DO safely discern what you are able to about the negligent driver and vehicle. To do this, you can:
  • Take pictures. If you are not badly injured and can use your phone before the car is completely gone, take as many pictures as possible. Even if you cannot get an entire license plate number, a partial license plate and/or the make, model and color of the car will be a great help in determining who the driver was. It is also useful to take pictures of any tire marks or other damage to the crash site.
  • Speak to witnesses. Other people at the crash site might have been able to see more than you did, or will be able to verify your story. Make sure to get their contact information so an insurance company, police officer or Raymore, 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 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 Raymore, 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 at once. Our skilled and knowledgeable hit and run accident attorneys will help you gather evidence, including getting access to nearby surveillance video and reaching out to witnesses for complete statements. We work alongside a network of Raymore, MO car accident experts who will be able to reconstruct the accident and demonstrate 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 discover the at-fault driver that caused your damages and hold them responsible for their dangerous actions. In those cases, the indefatigable and knowledgeable Raymore, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make certain you collect the best possible 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 are unable to 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 Raymore, MO, there are four standards that must be met in order for you to make this claim:

1. You received physical 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 Raymore, MO insurance company acts as a stand in for the negligent party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your damages. However, like other insurance companies, they may still have to be persuaded to pay. To have the best odds at receiving the best possible compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need seasoned and talented Raymore, 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 decades, 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 found or not, the hit and run accident attorneys at Burger law will make certain you get the full recovery that you are owed. When you sustain injuries because somebody else did not respect 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 bills, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life. No matter how serious your injuries, we insist that you are compensated for every dime you deserve. If you or a family member in Raymore, MO has been hurt 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 duty to remain at the scene of an accident. 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 irresponsible actions caused. There are a wide array reasons the liable party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In Raymore, 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 also remain on a Raymore, 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 discovered 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 lead to 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 leave the scene of an accident.

• Distracted driving

  Driving while not giving full attention to the road is reckless 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 flee the scene of an accident simply because they think they will not be caught. 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 Raymore, 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 know what to do. 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 poorly lit areas at night, and when you are behind the wheel, never get distracted and never presume that leaving the scene of an accident is the best decision.

No matter the reason a driver opts to leave the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have presupposed the pros of running outweighed the cons. The Raymore, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will hold them accountable and ensure they know they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in Raymore, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many differing scenarios. We insist on maximum compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not stop fighting for you until you receive the money you are owed to put you on the path to healing. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a free consultation and so we can get started on your case right away.

The Raymore, 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 Raymore, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, angry, and anxious. Injuries and their related expenses can uproot your life. Burger Law is here to help you heal. When you hire our team of Raymore, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting by your side at once. We demand the negligent parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we demand that you are awarded 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 evaluation to take the first step in getting your life back on track.