Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Winston, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Winston, MO. How do you hold a driver responsible and get full compensation for your damages when you have been harmed in a hit and run crash? Call the Winston, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law now at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can start fighting for you and getting you a great recovery for your Winston, MO hit and run accident.

When a careless driver knowingly breaks the rules of the road and injured you or someone you care about, it is typical to feel shocked and furious. It is particularly unnerving when the negligent party refuses to take responsibility for their negligent driving and runs away from the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be pondering who is going to reimburse you for the damages to your property and you or your loved one’s injuries. The devoted, accomplished and skilled Winston, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold dangerous and purposefully irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you grasp the situation and will fight for you to maximize your recovery and get you on the journey to recovery. Call us today 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 accidents, which was a 62 percent increase from 2009. Of the fatalities, nearly 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately 20 percent of pedestrian deaths transpire in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident happens every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury caused by an auto accident can be traumatizing and produce life-long changes or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases compound your wounds as you may not receive medical care immediately, and you may not be certain who to turn to or how to seek just compensation for your injuries and damages. Our team of seasoned and knowledgeable hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped people hurt in hit and run accidents in the Winston, MO area get full recoveries and understand how to maximize your compensation. When you contact us at (314) 500-HURT, we start working on your case immediately, and you do not owe us any payment until we win your case.

If you have been harmed in a hit and run accident, check out 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 Winston, MO

If someone else drives irresponsibly and harms you in a hit and run accident, they are not only responsible for your injuries, they are guilty of a criminal act. In Missouri, leaving the scene of an accident is a crime. When a driver causes or is involved in an accident, they are required by law to:

• Remain at the scene
• Move their car if it hazardous to other drivers, otherwise, wait until instructed by police
• Supply aid to anyone who is hurt
• Call the Winston, 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 scene until a police officer tells them they can leave

Furthermore, an accident report needs to be filed if damages exceed $500 or the accident leads to 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 a local jail and a fine of $2,000. However, leaving the scene becomes 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 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 leads to somebody’s death. While it is comforting that we have laws deterring hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the at-fault driver will not get you the compensation you deserve. They may be found guilty before the Winston, MO criminal court, but you need knowledgeable and devoted hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law who will fight by your side until you get the best possible recovery you need to heal. When you hire us, we get started on your case right away and do not let 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 harmful behavior.

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

While being in any crash is frightening and can leave you feeling helpless, it can be especially worrisome if the negligent driver disregards the rules and leaves the scene. The rules exist for a reason, and it is disheartening and alarming when someone disregards those rules and drives carelessly and dangerously. The devoted and skilled Winston, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold thoughtless drivers responsible and get you the money 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 accident site yourself. You could think the damages are too insignificant to want to deal with the inconvenience, or you may be anxious that you are partially at fault. Leaving the scene of a crash will make it much harder for you to receive compensation for your damages, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical treatment. Your first 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, do your best to keep them in a stable condition and wait for Winston, MO emergency services to get there and give aid.
• DO NOT hesitate 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 harm or a fatality. Even if you are not sure what the degree of the damages or injuries are right away, having a police report will go a long way in winning your case.
• DO NOT go after the driver. After being hit by another vehicle in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are normal reactions. You may be tempted to follow the driver and find out who hit you. That is Winston, MO law enforcement’s job. Going on a wild goose chase not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at more risk, but it will impede you from being able to get valuable information and may even cause the police to not believe you.
• DO safely find out what you can about the at-fault driver and vehicle. To do so, you can:
  • Take pictures. If you did not sustain a serious injury and can take out your phone before the car vanishes from sight, take as many photos 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 incredibly useful in discovering who the driver was. It also helps 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 had a better view than you, or will be able to validate your version of events. Be sure to get their contact information so a claims adjuster, law enforcement officer or Winston, MO hit and run accident attorney will be able to reach out to them later.
  • Write it all down. If you did not have time or the ability to take pictures, anything you noticed about the other car or driver will be easier to recall immediately following the collision, and those details will still be incredibly useful to the police and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Winston, 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 knowledgeable hit and run accident attorneys will assist in gathering evidence, including obtaining adjacent surveillance video and contacting witnesses for complete depositions. We work alongside a network of Winston, MO car accident experts who will be able to reconstruct the accident and demonstrate exactly how the negligible 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

The ideal scenario is that police and/or your hit and run accident attorneys will be able to locate the at-fault driver that caused your injuries and hold them accountable for their careless actions. In those cases, the tenacious and skilled Winston, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will ensure you win maximum compensation from the driver and their insurance company.

Uninsured Motorist Claims in Hit and Run Accidents

In Missouri, drivers must have uninsured motorist insurance. If you cannot track down the aat-fault 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 a recovery from your own insurance company. In Winston, MO, there are four standards that are required to be met so that you can make this claim:

1. You sustained physical injuries
2. You incurred the injuries due to 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 Winston, MO insurance company acts as a stand in for the responsible party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your injuries. However, like many insurance companies, they may still have to be convinced to pay. To have the best opportunity to receive full compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need accomplished and talented Winston, MO hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law to fight for you. We have been standing up to insurance companies and other bullies for decades, and will not give up the fight until your own insurance company reimburses you for the money you have likely 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 ensure you get the maximum amount of money that you are owed. When you are harmed because another driver did not respect the rules of the road, you are entitled to a full compensation for all of damages you have received as a result of the accident, for instance: your medical bills, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life. No matter how grave your injuries, we demand that you are compensated for every nickel you are entitled to. If you or a someone you care about in Winston, MO has been injured 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 moral duty to stay at an accident site. When someone runs 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 thoughtless actions caused. There are a lot of reasons the at-fault party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In Winston, 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 Winston, 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, based 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 might not be surprising that people who have already committed a crime would risk breaking the law again to run away from the scene of an accident.

• Distracted driving

  Driving while not giving full attention to the road is careless and dangerous. People can become distracted if they are texting, eating, looking at directions, fatigued or just have their head in the clouds.

• Lack of potential witnesses or low lighting

  A driver may leave 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 midnight and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the Winston, 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 want to get in trouble. 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 safety measures 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 presume that leaving the scene of an accident is the best decision.

No matter the reason a driver chooses to flee the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have assumed the benefits of running outweighed the cons. The Winston, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will hold them accountable and make certain they know they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in Winston, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many different circumstances. We demand full 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 road to being made whole again. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a complimentary consultation and so we can get started on your case right away.

The Winston, 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 Winston, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, angry, and vulnerable. Injuries and their related expenses can disrupt your life. Burger Law is here to help you heal. When you hire our team of Winston, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting by your side right away. We demand the at-fault parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we demand that you get the best possible compensation to aid 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.