Does Uninsured Motorist Cover Hit and Run?

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A man calls the insurance company after a hit and run accident while a tow truck takes his car away.Being in any kind of car accident is stressful and may result in painful injuries and other damages. But a hit and run crash adds another layer of difficulty – you may have trouble tracking down the other driver. Under Georgia law, any driver involved in a crash that leads to injury, death, or damage to a vehicle must stop at the scene. Unfortunately, sometimes this doesn’t happen, leaving the driver who did stop to deal with medical bills, lost wages, vehicle damage, and more. If you’re in this situation, it’s important to know that you may still have options for covering your damages.

Contact a car accident lawyer immediately to find out what you can do. Attorney Ali Awad fights for his clients, taking on big insurance companies and other parties in personal injury claims. He founded the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm and rapidly turned it into one of the fastest-growing law firms in the country. When he’s not handling cases for clients, he dispenses legal wisdom to more than a million followers on social media. Contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm today for a free consultation about your options for compensation after a car accident.

How Do I Get My Expenses Paid After A Hit And Run?

Multiple options may be available in a hit and run case. Ideally, you will find the driver and make a claim on their car insurance, but this isn’t always possible. Leaving the scene of an accident can be classified as either a misdemeanor or felony depending on the details of the crash, and the police will make every effort to find the driver. However, they may be busy with multiple cases and have limited resources. At some point, many hit and run investigations simply go “cold” with no new leads.

Your car accident lawyer will probably make another attempt at tracking down the driver. Our investigators have more time and resources to devote to the problem, and in some situations, they may uncover new witnesses or other evidence that leads to the driver.

However, there are still many situations where a law firm’s investigation team is also unable to find the driver. In these circumstances, we turn our attention to finding other sources of insurance coverage for your claims. The best place to start is with your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UI).

 

What Does Uninsured Motorist Cover?

More than most people think. Some clients have told us that they didn’t believe their UM/UI coverage would work for a hit and run, but it does. Here are some other surprising things to know about UM/UI coverage:

  • You don’t have to be driving your car when the accident occurs for UM/UI insurance to apply. If you were the victim of a hit and run driver while walking or riding a bicycle, you will still be covered.
  • UM/UI insurance usually covers you, your spouse, and other relatives who live in your home, such as teenage children.
  • Anyone using your car is covered, so long as they have permission to drive it. This is often a relief to clients in a situation where their friend borrowed the car and had an accident with an uninsured driver. Some people don’t want to ask their friend to pay for damage caused by another driver, but they can’t afford to fix the car. UM/UI insurance is a good solution to these awkward situations.
  • Another potentially difficult situation may arise if you are driving somewhere with a passenger when you’re struck by a hit and run driver. For example, let’s say that you’re giving your neighbor a ride to the store, you have the green light at an intersection, and another driver runs the red light and crashes into the passenger side of your car. Your neighbor could be hurt and wind up with a stack of medical bills they expect you to pay, even though the accident was caused by another driver who ran a red light and then ran off. When something like this occurs, UM/UI insurance will pay for the passenger’s medical expenses, so you don’t have to.
  • UM/UI coverage is not required under Georgia law. Typically insurance companies will have a policy page specifically asking if you want to opt out of it, so if you don’t remember doing that, chances are you have UM/UI insurance. However, there are sometimes situations where people forget opting out or didn’t read the form carefully. If they get into an accident with a hit and run driver, they may find out they don’t have UM/UI coverage. If you’re not sure, it’s a good idea to check on what kind of coverage you have.
  • UM/UI insurance policies start at $25,000 in bodily injury liability and $25,000 in property damage, but you can buy a larger policy if you like.

What if You Don’t Have UM/UI Insurance or Your Expenses Exceed Your Coverage?

This is not an ideal situation, but you may still have options if you elected to buy “MedPay” insurance. This coverage is for your medical bills – not to be confused with bodily injury liability insurance, which covers another person’s medical bills if they’re hurt in an accident you caused. MedPay will cover your medical costs regardless of who caused the accident so that it can be used in a hit and run situation. Likewise, collision coverage will take care of your car repair costs regardless of fault, and may be used if a hit and run driver damages your vehicle.

Injury and Accident Attorneys Can Help After an Accident, Call the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm

If you or a loved one have been injured by a hit and run driver, the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm can help you figure out your insurance coverage and other possibilities. Please contact us today for a free consultation. There is no obligation, and if we take your case, we do so on a contingency basis – that means you don’t pay anything up-front, only when we win your case.

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Frequently Asked Questions

After a personal injury, you're bound to have legal questions. The CEO Lawyer Ali Awad can provide you with answers to these questions, just as he's given answers to his millions of curious social media followers. Take a look at some of the most common personal injury law questions for general information, and then reach out to one of our seasoned attorneys for specific guidance on your case!

Contact us now (833) 254-2923.

Help Negotiating with Insurance Carriers

To quickly resolve matters following an accident, insurance companies will offer you less than you deserve in compensation for your injuries. Many victims feel pressured to accept these offers as the bills begin to pile up, but that is rarely a good idea. The insurance company is looking to protect its bottom line; and will offer injured victims less than they deserve. An experienced personal injury attorney understands how to negotiate with the insurance company and can look out for your best interests by getting you the compensation you deserve after an injury. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, it is important to avoid negotiating or providing recorded statements to the insurance company without first seeking help from a qualified personal injury attorney.

Do You Have a Personal Injury Case?

The best way to determine if you have a personal injury case is to speak with a knowledgeable attorney. Our legal professionals have the expertise to evaluate your case and determine a strong legal strategy so that you can obtain the greatest amount of compensation possible under the law. We will enlist investigators, assistants, and other specialists to collect accident reports, speak with witnesses to your accident, and put together a plan. While you focus on your physical recovery, we will remain committed to fighting for the compensation that you deserve.

Georgia's Personal Injury & Accident Firm

Accident victims have a limited time to file a personal injury lawsuit. This time period is referred to as the statute of limitations, and in Atlanta, it lasts only two years. This means that if you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, you have only two years to pursue a personal injury suit. If you wait too long to reach out to an experienced attorney, you might be forever barred from seeking the compensation you deserve.

What to Expect From Your Initial Consultation With a Personal Injury Attorney?

During your initial consultation with CEO Lawyer team, we will go over the important details of your personal injury accident, which include the nature and extent of your injuries, how your injuries have impacted your ability to earn a paycheck, the cost of your medical treatment, and whether further medical treatment will be required. We will answer any questions you might have, as well, in regards to our experience, our track record of success, and what to expect from the legal process. Many personal injury victims wonder if they will be able to afford the legal fees required to pursue a lawsuit. CEO Lawyer injury and accident attorneys will not ask for any type of upfront fee unless we are successful in obtaining compensation for you. That means that if you have been harmed in a motor vehicle accident, slip and fall accident, defective product accident, or any other type of personal injury accident, you can absolutely afford to contact our law office today for assistance. In fact, you cannot afford to wait. Reach out today. We understand that some accident victims might have already obtained the assistance of an attorney but may be dissatisfied with the services provided. We are standing by and prepared to help you change legal representation, regardless of where you are in the process.

Speak to an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney Today

If you or a loved one has been injured in any type of personal injury accident, you should not hesitate to speak with the experienced attorneys at CEO Lawyer personal injury law firm. Call, email, or fill out our online contact form today so that we can begin helping you pursue the compensation you deserve.