Hit and Run Accident Attorneys St. Robert, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in St. Robert, MO. How do you hold a driver accountable and get great compensation for your damages when you have been hurt in a hit and run accident? Call the St. Robert, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law right away at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can begin fighting for you and winning you a full recovery for your St. Robert, MO hit and run accident.

When a dangerous driver purposefully breaks the rules of the road and hurts you or someone you care about, it is common to feel shocked and angry. It is particularly perturbing when the at-fault party will not take responsibility for their actions and runs away from the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be asking yourself who is going to reimburse you for the damages to your property and you or your loved one’s injuries. The dedicated, experienced and talented St. Robert, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold reckless and intentionally irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you make sense of the situation and will fight on your behalf to maximize your recovery and put you on the path to healing. Call us straight 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 who died, almost 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately 20 percent of pedestrian deaths occur in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident takes place every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury stemming from an auto accident can be traumatizing and produce life-long repercussions or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases intensify that trauma as you may not get medical attention at once, and you may not know who to trust or how to seek equitable compensation for your injuries and damages. Our team of experienced and knowledgeable hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped those hurt in hit and run accidents in the St. Robert, MO area get maximum recoveries and understand how to maximize your compensation. When you call us at (314) 500-HURT, we begin working on your case immediately, and we do not collect any payment until we win your claim.

If you have been hurt 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 St. Robert, MO

If someone else 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, leaving the scene of an accident is against the law. When a motorist causes or is involved in an accident, the law dictates that they must:

• Remain at the accident site
• 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. Robert, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in bad weather
• Swap contact info and insurance information with anybody involved
• Stay at the crash site until a police officer tells them they can leave

Additionally, an accident report needs to be filed if damages exceed $500 or the accident causes injury or death.

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 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 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 results in somebody’s death. While it is reassuring that we have laws discouraging hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the at-fault driver will not get you the money you are entitled to. They may be found guilty in front of the St. Robert, MO criminal court, but you need expert and devoted hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law who will fight for you until you get the best possible recovery you need to heal. When you hire us, we start working on your case immediately and do not give up. You do not owe us a dime until we win your case and we will fight tirelessly to make sure the negligent party bears complete responsibility for their dangerous behavior.

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 stressful if the negligent party disregards the law and flees the accident site. The rules exist for a reason, and it is disheartening and alarming when someone does not respect those rules and drives thoughtlessly and irresponsibly. The devoted and accomplished St. Robert, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold negligent 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 could 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 an accident will make it much harder for you to receive compensation for your injuries, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical treatment. Your foremost thought 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 injured, focus on keeping them in a stable condition and wait for St. Robert, MO emergency services to arrive and give aid.
• DO NOT hesitate to call the police. Missouri law dictates that you have to call the police in any accident that causes over $500 worth of damages or results in physical harm or death. Even if you are not sure what the degree of the damages or injuries are right away, having a police report will help immeasurably in proving your case.
• DO NOT go after the driver. After being 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 caused your accident. That is St. Robert, MO law enforcement’s job. Going on a wild goose chase not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at heightened risk, but it will impede you from being able to get important information and may even make the police suspicious of you.
• DO safely find out 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 use your phone before the car disappears from view, take as many photographs 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 locating the driver. It also helps to take photos of any tire marks or other damage to the accident site.
  • Speak to witnesses. Other people at the accident site might have been able to see more than you did, or will be able to validate your story. Be sure to get their contact information so an insurance company, police officer or St. Robert, MO hit and run accident lawyer will be able to contact them at a later date.
  • Write it all down. 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 law enforcement and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your St. Robert, 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 straight away. Our savvy and veteran hit and run accident attorneys will assist in collecting evidence, including obtaining adjacent surveillance video and reaching out to witnesses for full statements. We work alongside a network of St. Robert, 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

The ideal scenario is that police and/or your hit and run accident attorneys will be able to find the negligent driver that caused your injuries and hold them responsible for their irresponsible driving. In those cases, the tenacious and knowledgeable St. Robert, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make sure you collect 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 are unable to locate the aat-fault 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. Robert, MO, there are four standards that need to be met in order for you to make this claim:

1. You received bodily injuries
2. The injuries occurred because 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. Robert, MO insurance company acts as a substitute 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 convinced to pay. To have the best opportunity to receive the best possible compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need experienced and skilled St. Robert, MO hit and run accident attorneys like we have at Burger Law to fight for you. We have been standing up to insurance companies and other bullies for decades, and will not back down until your own insurance company pays you back the money you have probably 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 full recovery that you are owed. When you are harmed because another driver broke the rules of the road, you are entitled to maximum compensation for all of damages you have received owing to the accident, for example: your medical costs, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and reduced ability to enjoy life. No matter how grave your injuries, we demand that you are compensated for all the money you deserve. If you or a family member in St. Robert, 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 ethical obligation to stay at the scene of an accident. When someone leaves the scene of a hit and run accident, it is because they are more worried about the consequences for themselves than any damage or harm their reckless 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 St. Robert, MO, not having the right insurance can lead to 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. Robert, 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 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 likely is not surprising that people who have already committed a crime 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, dozing off or are just daydreaming.

• Lack of potential witnesses or low lighting

  A driver may flee 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 12AM and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the St. Robert, 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. Occasionally, these drivers turn themselves in after 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 areas with bad lighting at night, and when you are behind the wheel, never get distracted and never assume that leaving the scene of an accident is the best choice.

No matter the reason a driver opts to flee the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have presupposed the benefits of fleeing outweighed the cons. The St. Robert, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will hold them responsible and ensure they know they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in St. Robert, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many differing circumstances. We demand full compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not give up until you are awarded the money you are owed to put you on the road to recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a free consultation and so we can get started on your case right away.

The St. Robert, 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 family member sustained injuries in a St. Robert, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, outraged, and vulnerable. Injuries and their related expenses can upend your life. Burger Law is here to help you heal. When you hire our team of St. Robert, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting by your side immediately. We insist that the negligent parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we demand that you receive 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.