Hit and Run Accident Attorneys St. James, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in St. James, MO. How do you hold a driver responsible and recover great compensation for your damages when you have been injured in a hit and run crash? Call the St. James, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law now at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can begin working for you and getting you the best possible recovery for your St. James, MO hit and run accident.

When a reckless driver consciously breaks the rules of the road and harms you or a loved one, it is normal to feel appalled and furious. It is especially distressing when the negligent party refuses to take responsibility for their negligent driving and flees the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be asking yourself who is going to compensate you for the damages to your property and you or your family member's injuries. The committed, seasoned and skilled St. James, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold reckless and knowingly irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you comprehend the situation and will fight for you to maximize your compensation and get you on the journey to recovery. Call us straight away 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 crashes, which was a 62 percent increase from 2009. Of those who died, nearly 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 occurs every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury resulting from a car wreck can be traumatizing and produce life-long repercussions or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases amplify your wounds as you may not receive medical care at once, and you may be unsure of who to turn to or how to secure equitable 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 harmed in hit and run accidents in the St. James, MO area get full recoveries and know how to maximize your compensation. When you reach out to us at (314) 500-HURT, we start work on your case immediately, and we do not charge any fees until we win your claim.

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 St. James, MO

If a motorist behaves irresponsibly 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 driver causes or is involved in an accident, the law requires them to:

• Stay at the scene
• Move their car if it may cause other drivers to crash, otherwise, wait for instructions from police
• Help anyone who is hurt
• Call the St. James, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in bad weather
• Exchange contact info and insurance information with others involved
• Remain at the accident site until a police officer tells them they can leave

Furthermore, an accident report must be filed if damages exceed $500 or the accident results in 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 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 turns into a Class D Felony if the accident becomes fatal and leads to somebody’s death. While it is reassuring that we have laws against hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the irresponsible driver will not get you the recovery you are owed. They may be found guilty before the St. James, MO criminal court, but you need expert and devoted hit and run accident attorneys like we have 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 at once and do not let up. You do not owe us a dime until we win your case and we will represent you aggressively to make certain the at-fault party accepts full responsibility for their thoughtless behavior.

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

While being in any accident is frightening and can leave you feeling unprotected, it can be particularly stressful if the liable individual does not respect the law and flees the accident site. The rules were enacted for a reason, and it is disappointing and startling when someone breaks those rules and drives selfishly and dangerously. The devoted and talented St. James, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold reckless drivers accountable and win 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 leave the crash site yourself. You might think the damages are too small to want to deal with the nuisance, or you may be nervous that you are partly responsible. Leaving the location of an accident will make it much more complicated for you to be awarded compensation for your injuries, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical treatment. The health and safety of everybody present should be your principal concern. If you or somebody else is harmed, try to keep them in a stable condition and wait for St. James, 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 accident that results in over $500 worth of damages or causes bodily injury or death. Even if you are not certain what the extent of the damages or injuries are at that moment, having a police report will help a lot in winning your case.
• DO NOT go after the driver. After being hit by another car in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are common reactions. You may be motivated to follow the driver and find out who they are. That is St. James, 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 hold you back from being able to get necessary information and may even make the police suspicious of you.
• DO safely learn what you can about the at-fault driver and vehicle. To do this, you can:
  • Take pictures. If you are not seriously injured and can take out your phone before the car you cannot see the car anymore, take as many photos as you are able to. Even if you cannot get complete 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 pictures of any tire marks or other damage to the area of the accident.
  • Talk to witnesses. Other people at the crash site might have been able to see more than you did, or will be able to validate your story. Make sure to get their contact information so a claims adjuster, police officer or St. James, MO hit and run accident attorney will be able to get in touch with them later.
  • Write down everything you can. If you did not have time or the ability to take photographs, 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 law enforcement and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your St. James, MO insurance company. If the driver is never 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 adjacent surveillance footage and getting in touch with witnesses for complete depositions. We work with a network of St. James, MO car accident experts who will be able to recreate the scene and show exactly how the liable party caused your injuries.

Here are some helpful links and frequently asked questions for hit and runs and other categories 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 track down the liable driver that caused your damages and hold them responsible for their thoughtless driving. In those cases, the tenacious and talented St. James, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make sure you are awarded 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 find the anegligent 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 St. James, MO, there are four criteria that need to be met so that you can make this claim:

1. You received physical injuries
2. You incurred 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 St. James, MO insurance company acts as a stand in for the liable party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your injuries. However, like many 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 accomplished and expert St. James, MO hit and run accident attorneys like we have at Burger Law to fight for you. We have been resisting 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 identified or not, the hit and run accident attorneys at Burger law will ensure you get the maximum amount of compensation that you are owed. When you get hurt because somebody else broke the rules of the road, you are entitled to maximum 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 reduced capacity to enjoy life. No matter how grave your injuries, we insist that you are compensated for all the money you are owed. If you or a someone you care about in St. James, 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 any driver’s legal and ethical responsibility to stay at an accident site. When someone flees 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 negligent party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In St. James, 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 also remain on a St. James, 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, based on whether you have been pulled over 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 lead to fines, jail time, and revocation of a license.

• The driver may have a warrant out for their arrest

  It likely is not surprising that people who already fear an interaction with law enforcement would risk breaking the law again to leave a crash site.

• Distracted driving

  Driving while not focusing on the road is reckless 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 flee a crash 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 St. James, 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 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 thought that the benefits of running were greater than the cons. The St. James, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will make them pay and make certain they see they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in St. James, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many differing situations. We demand full compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not give up until you collect the money you deserve to put you on the road 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 St. James, 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 loved one experienced injuries in a St. James, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, outraged, and overwhelmed. Injuries and their related bills can disrupt your life. Burger Law is here to help you heal. When you hire our team of St. James, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting by your side immediately. We demand the at-fault parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we insist on getting you maximum 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.