Terry's Tips: Victims of a Hit-And-Run in Alabama: What Do You Do?

Car accidents are distressing events, no matter what the circumstances might be. If the driver who crashed into your car flees the scene of the accident, the situation becomes significantly more stressful. You might worry that you have no legal recourse after a hit-and-run accident, but fortunately, this is not the case in most situations.

Finding the Driver

Following a hit-and-run, it is natural to feel helpless. However, you should still take steps to protect your rights and increase your chances of recovering for your losses. This includes calling the police at the scene to report the accident. Leaving the scene of an accident is a crime in Alabama, so police should begin investigating to see if they can find the offending driver. Also, if you are able, try to take a picture of the car that hit you to prove that another person was involved, including a picture of the license plate. Most people understandably don't think about this because of the initial shock of the accident.

In some cases, with video surveillance footage, witness reports, and other leads, police officers can find the driver who fled the scene of your accident. However, the criminal case will often not be sufficient for you to recover for the costs of your property damages, medical bills, and other losses. You want an experienced hit-and-run accident attorney to handle the legal process for you, including filing insurance claims against the responsible driver.

Uninsured Motorist Claims

If the hit-and-run driver is not identified, you still should not be responsible for your losses that were caused by the unknown driver. Injuries from car accidents can be costly, and you could be facing medical bills, lost income, and other losses. While you cannot file an insurance claim against an unidentified person, your own insurance coverage might come into play.

Uninsured motorist coverage is primarily intended to provide benefits when the liable driver does not have the requisite auto insurance. However, this type of coverage treats a hit-and-run driver like an uninsured motorist. This means you have the ability to file a claim with your own insurance company seeking compensation for your losses.

Seeking Legal Assistance

You might assume that your insurance company will be cooperative and willing to pay benefits right away - after all, you pay premiums each month to have that coverage in case you need it. However, your insurance company will treat uninsured motorist claims like any other type of claim, which means they will often try to pay out as little as possible.

Insurance adjusters can challenge your claim in many ways, including:

●    Questioning whether a hit-and-run driver caused your crash
●    Challenging whether your injuries were accident-related
●    Challenging the severity of your injuries and if your treatment was necessary

It is best to have an experienced hit-and-run lawyer representing you from the start of your uninsured motorist claim. Insurance companies know they cannot use their usual tactics on experienced attorneys, and attorney Terry Luck will not back down until you have the compensation you deserve.

Contact a Montgomery Hit-and-Run Accident Attorney Right Away

When you are involved in a hit-and-run, you still have important legal options that you should discuss with a hit-and-run accident lawyer at Luck Law.

Contact us online or call 334-262-5455 for a free case evaluation.

No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.