Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Scott City, MO

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

When a dangerous driver intentionally breaks the rules of the road and hurts you or a family member, it is common to feel dismayed and outraged. It is especially unsettling when the liable party refuses to take responsibility for their reckless driving and flees the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be puzzled about who is going to pay for the damages to your property and you or your loved one’s injuries. The committed, seasoned and talented Scott City, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold dangerous and willfully irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you make sense of the situation and will fight for you to maximize your recovery and get 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 accidents, which is 62 percent more than 2009. Of those who died, about 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately 20 percent of pedestrian deaths happen in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident transpires every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury resulting from an auto wreck can be traumatizing and bring about life-long repercussions or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases amplify your wounds as you may not get medical attention at once, and you may not know who to trust or how to collect just compensation for your injuries and damages. Our team of experienced and talented hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped people harmed in hit and run accidents in the Scott City, MO area get full recoveries and understand how to maximize your compensation. When you call us at (314) 500-HURT, we begin work on your case immediately, and you do not owe us any payment until we win your claim.

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

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

If a motorist drives carelessly and hurts you in a hit and run accident, they are not only culpable for your injuries, they are a lawbreaker. In Missouri, driving away from the scene of an accident is a crime. When a motorist causes or is involved in an accident, they are required by law to:

• Remain 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 Scott City, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in bad weather
• Trade contact info and insurance information with others involved
• Stay at the crash site until a police officer tells them differently

Furthermore, an accident report has to be filed if damages exceed $500 or the accident leads to 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 county jail and a fine of $2,000. However, leaving the scene turns into 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 was previously found guilty of leaving the scene of a hit and run accident.

A hit and run turns into a Class D Felony if the crash becomes fatal and leads to somebody’s death. While it is comforting that we have laws discouraging hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the reckless driver will not get you the money you are owed. They may be found guilty before the Scott City, MO criminal court, but you need expert and committed hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law who will insist that you get the full recovery you need to recover. When you hire us, we get started on your case straight away and work tenaciously until we win. We do not charge any fees until we win your case and we will represent you aggressively to make certain the negligent party accepts complete responsibility for their harmful behavior.

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

While being in any crash is scary and can leave you feeling vulnerable, it can be particularly worrisome if the negligent individual breaks the rules of the road and leaves the accident site. The rules exist for a reason, and it is disheartening and alarming when someone disregards those rules and behaves selfishly and irresponsibly. The dedicated and knowledgeable Scott City, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold reckless drivers responsible and get 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 flee the crash site yourself. You may think the damages are too insignificant to want to deal with the hassle, or you may worry that you are partially at fault. Leaving the scene of a crash will make it much more difficult for you to get compensation for your injuries, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical attention. Your first worry 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 hurt, do your best to keep them in a stable condition and wait for Scott City, MO emergency services to get there and provide 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 harm or a fatality. Even if you are not certain what the extent of the damages or injuries are immediately, having a police report will help immeasurably in winning your case.
• DO NOT go after the driver. When you are hit by another driver in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are normal reactions. You may be tempted to follow the driver and find out who they are. That is Scott City, MO law enforcement’s task. Going on a wild goose chase not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at increased risk, but it will hamper you from being able to get valuable information and may even make the police suspicious of you.
• DO safely note what you can about the irresponsible driver and vehicle. To do this, you can:
  • Take photos. If you are not seriously injured and can get hold of your phone before the car is completely gone, take as many photographs as possible. Even if you cannot get a full license plate number, a partial 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 photographs of any tire marks or other damage to the accident site.
  • Talk to witnesses. Other people at the accident site might have had a better view than you, or will be able to verify your story. Make sure to get their contact information so an insurance company, law enforcement officer or Scott City, MO hit and run accident attorney will be able to reach out to them at a later date.
  • Write down everything you can. If you did not have time or the ability to take photos, any knowledge you have of the other car or driver will be easier to remember immediately following the crash, and those details will still be of great help to law enforcement and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Scott City, 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 savvy and veteran hit and run accident attorneys will assist in collecting evidence, including obtaining nearby surveillance footage and reaching out to witnesses for complete statements. We work alongside a network of Scott City, MO car accident experts who will be able to reconstruct the crash 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 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 irresponsible driving. In those cases, the tenacious and expert Scott City, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make certain you win 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 cannot find 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 compensation from your own insurance company. In Scott City, MO, there are four standards that need to be met in order for you to make this claim:

1. You received physical injuries
2. You received the injuries 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 Scott City, MO insurance company acts as a substitute for the liable 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 great compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need accomplished and talented Scott City, MO hit and run accident attorneys like we have 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 relent until your own insurance company pays you back the money you have likely 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 maximum amount of compensation that you are entitled to. When you are injured because somebody else did not respect the rules of the road, you are entitled to a full compensation for all of damages you have experienced because of 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 insist that you are compensated for every dime you deserve. If you or a someone you care about in Scott City, 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 moral obligation 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 care more about the consequences for themselves than any damage or harm their thoughtless behavior caused. There are a variety of reasons the liable party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In Scott City, 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 Scott City, 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 caught 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 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 flee the scene of an accident.

• Distracted driving

  Driving while not focusing on the road is thoughtless 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 a crash site simply because they think they will not be caught. 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 Scott City, 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. Sometimes, these drivers turn themselves in once they have calmed down.

While we cannot control what other drivers do behind the wheel, 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, stay alert at all times and never assume that leaving the scene of an accident is the best choice.

Regardless of the reason a driver opts to leave the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have thought that the benefits of fleeing outweighed the cons. The Scott City, 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 Scott City, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many varying circumstances. We demand the best possible compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not let up until you get the money you are owed to put you on the journey to being made whole again. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a complimentary case review and so we can get started on your case right away.

The Scott City, 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 someone you care about sustained injuries in a Scott City, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, angry, and overwhelmed. Injuries and their related expenses can disrupt your life. Burger Law is here to help make you whole again. When you hire our team of Scott City, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting by your side at once. We insist that the responsible parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we insist on getting you full compensation to help you in your recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case review to take the first step in getting your life back on track.