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Under Georgia law, motorists are required to stop and remain at the scene of any accident that results in injury, death, or damage to a vehicle driven or attended by a person. They should exchange contact information with the other driver, report the accident to the police, and make a reasonable effort to assist anyone injured.
Drivers who “hit and run” could face criminal charges, which are even more severe if the accident resulted in death or serious injury. But that doesn’t help you with your medical bills, lost income, and other damages you might have if you’re hit by a driver who takes off.
You may want to make an insurance claim, but that can be complicated if the at-fault driver doesn’t stick around to give you their insurance information. Fortunately, there are options for pursuing compensation in many of these cases.
Get Help From a Duluth Hit and Run Accident Attorney
An experienced hit-and-run attorney will review your case and explain the options in your situation. We may also investigate the crash and try to locate the driver if the police haven’t been successful.
Additionally, we can assist you with your insurance claim if applicable, and we’ll work to ensure you receive all the compensation you deserve.
What Should You Do After a Hit and Run Accident?
Call 911 and give the operator as much information as you can about the accident and the vehicle that left the scene. If you can give them the license plate number, that would be ideal, but in some cases, it isn’t possible to see the license plate.
Do not attempt to go after the fleeing driver, as this could create an even more dangerous situation.
Get medical attention for any injuries right away, even if you believe they are minor. Sometimes, car accident injuries feel mild at first, but your pain or other symptoms may worsen within a few hours or days.
It’s helpful to see a doctor to establish a record of your injuries and rule out more serious issues that require treatment.
The responding officer will take your statement and give you a case number so you can call and check on the status of your case. When you report the accident to your insurance company, they may ask for this case number.
How Can You Seek Compensation After a Hit and Run Accident?
There are two options for seeking compensation in a hit-and-run accident:
- Find the hit-and-run driver and sue them/make a claim on their insurance.
- File a claim with your own uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance (UM/UI coverage).
Except in rare situations, these are your only options for dealing with a hit-and-run driver. This is one of several reasons why we strongly recommend drivers invest in as much UM/UI coverage as they can afford.
If the Police Can’t Find the Hit-And-Run Driver, Is There Anything You Can Do?
Your hit-and-run accident lawyer may investigate further to see if they can find the driver. Although the police will do everything they can, they are often busy with multiple cases and have limited resources.
Our investigative team will visit the accident scene, canvas the neighborhood, and talk to people who live or work there. Additionally, we’ll try to locate video from doorbell or security cameras, and we may seek data from your own car’s event data recorder or EDR.
By taking these steps, our investigators will sometimes find additional evidence that can lead to an arrest in your case. If so, we can pursue a recovery from the driver or their insurance company.
What if the Hit and Run Driver Is Never Located?
Despite everyone’s best efforts to find the driver, there are many situations where it simply doesn’t happen. If there isn’t enough evidence, it may not be possible to locate the driver.
However, we can still help you seek compensation from your own insurance company—if you have UM/UI coverage.
UM/UI covers accidents with an uninsured or underinsured driver, and if you are struck by a hit-and-run driver, they are assumed to be uninsured. The insurance company will review the police report and may wait a certain amount of time to be sure the driver isn’t found, but then they should pay your claim.
Fault is still important in UM/UI claims. If the accident was your fault, it really doesn’t matter if the driver was uninsured or if they took off, at least from the insurance company’s perspective.
UM/UI coverage is for accidents caused by someone else who is not insured. Sometimes, the insurance adjuster may misinterpret an innocent remark or some aspect of the police report to mean that you were at fault and refuse to pay your claim.
For this reason, we recommend that you speak with a lawyer before talking to your insurance company adjuster. If they’ve already refused to pay your UM/UI claim for any reason, please call us right away, and we’ll try to negotiate with the insurance carrier.
What Does Uninsured Motorist Cover?
UM/UI policies cover bodily injury and property damage, and they typically start at the state’s requirements for liability insurance, which are $25,000 for each category. It’s helpful to remember that liability insurance, which is required in Georgia, covers your liability to another party if you cause an accident—it doesn’t cover your own injuries or property damage.
If the other driver has no insurance or left the scene without providing their information, your liability insurance will not help you.
However, UM/UI insurance should pay your claim in these situations up to the policy limit. You can purchase larger amounts of coverage beyond the $25,000 minimum, and if it’s within your budget, we recommend it.
If you’re severely injured by an uninsured driver, you could have medical bills and other damages exceeding $25,000. Still, even the minimum amount of UM/UI coverage is better than none at all.
UM/UI policies can be “stacked” or “unstacked.” Stacked policies can be used if the other motorist is insured, but their policy limit is lower than the amount of your damages. Unstacked policies only pay if the other driver is completely uninsured—essentially, they ensure that you have $X in coverage available, but if the other driver’s policy pays that amount, they don’t have to pay.
Although stacked policies are preferred in most situations, it doesn’t matter if your policy is stacked or unstacked in a situation where a hit-and-run driver is never located. If the driver is found, however, a stacked policy may provide extra coverage if their insurance is insufficient.
What if You Are Injured By a Hit-and-Run Driver As a Pedestrian or Bicyclist?
As it turns out, your options are the same: We can try to find the driver, or if that proves to be a dead end, we can make a claim on your UM/UI policy. The good news is that you do not have to be in your car when an accident occurs in order to use your UM/UI car insurance.
Are You Out of Options if You Don’t Have UM/UI Coverage?
In many cases, yes, but you should still consult an attorney to better understand your options for two reasons:
- As we discussed earlier, we will review your case and attempt to find the driver. If we can locate them, we might be able to make a claim on their auto insurance policy.
- In rare cases, you might have grounds for a third-party claim. For example, if your injuries were made worse by a malfunctioning airbag or seatbelt, you could have a claim against the manufacturer. These situations are unusual, but it’s worth checking to see if they apply.
How Much Does It Cost to Get a Lawyer for a Hit and Run Accident?
It should not cost you anything upfront. Like most personal injury lawyers, we work on a contingency basis—that means we don’t get paid until we win or settle your case, at which point we take an agreed-upon percentage.
Your initial consultation is free, so you can learn your options at no charge.
How Can You Get Help From a Hit and Run Accident Law Firm in Duluth?
If you or a loved one have been injured by a hit-and-run driver, please contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm to learn more. We’re always available to provide a free consultation about your case, answer questions, and lay out the options for recovering your damages.
The CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm was founded by attorney Ali Awad, who swiftly transformed it into one of the fastest-growing law firms in the country. Through his hard work and dedication to helping injured people and their families, he has recovered millions of dollars in damages for his clients.
When he’s not working on a case, he posts entertaining yet educational videos about legal topics for more than a million followers on social media. To work with his legal team, contact The CEO Lawyer today at 833-254-2923.