Finance Blog
How to Handle a Hit-and-Run Car Accident
You always hope that there are no injuries in the event of a car accident. In addition, there are always a lot of emotions that can exacerbate the situation. So what happens if you’re a victim in a hit-and-run car accident? It could be absolutely debilitating—physically and emotionally.
The first thing to do after any accident is to see if anyone is hurt or needs medical attention. After any medical issues have been addressed, you can deal with the accident report and insurance claim.
What information can you gather at the scene of the car accident?
Do not chase after the other vehicle. This could be dangerous, and it’s better to let the professionals take care of the situation. If you are able to secure the vehicle’s license plate information (even just a part of it), you can add it to the accident report. You should also add as detailed of a description as possible of the vehicle that drove away from the scene of the car accident.
If there are witnesses to the scene, or if there were other people in your car at the time of the accident, ask if they remember more of the license plate or can provide a better description than you can. You may be more upset than the witnesses or bystanders, and they may be able to provide more accurate information to the authorities. The more information you can give to the police, the better.
Steps to take in an accident when the other driver has disappeared
- File a police report. The police need to have all the information on record to assist in finding the guilty party in the car accident. It’s sad, but there is so much fraud in our society that the insurance company must take every precaution to determine if the claim is legitimate. A police report is a sworn statement that the insurance company will take very seriously.
- Report the incident to your insurance company and to your agent.
Bear in mind that the definition of a hit-and-run accident and the coinciding penalty differ by state.
How to file a claim when the driver at fault fled the accident scene
Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage protects you against both financial and non-financial losses sustained as a result of an uninsured, underinsured, or hit-and-run driver.
Financial losses that may be incurred by the victim of a hit-and-run car accident include medical expenses and lost wages. This applies to you as a driver or a pedestrian, as well as to other passengers in your car or to other people driving your car with your permission.
Non-financial damages can be subjective, but you are still entitled to financial compensation according to the law. These types of damages include the loss of ability to engage in activities due to injuries, pain, and suffering.
A warning about car accidents and hit-and-run drivers
A friend of mind was out on the town with friends when a car hit him as he was crossing the street. The drunk driver tried to leave the scene of the accident, but there were enough witnesses with information to find the driver—a teenage driver, driving his parent’s car.
My friend was in a coma for a very long time, but he was lucky and recovered. Even today he’s not back to 100 percent, and he will always have compromised mobility and need physical therapy.
He was extremely lucky in that he had sufficient insurance and was compensated enough to satisfy his new lifestyle and medical needs.
Not everyone has the coverage my friend did. Don’t wait until you’re facing a worst-case scenario. Call your agent and make sure you have underinsured/uninsured driver coverage—even if state law does not mandate it.
READ MORE:
Health Insurance Discounts for Healthy Lifestyle Habits
Women’s Health Insurance Coverage
Auto Insurance: How to Avoid a Lemon Car
Homeowners Insurance: Someone Gets Hurt On Your Property
Health Insurance Coverage for Infertility Treatments
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Last summer I was rear-ended by a truck. The accident happened on the Interstate during rush hour. Four lanes of vehicles were braking hard and slowing to a rapid stop. The driver behind me was unable to stop because he did not react in time to stop. He was distracted or just not as alert as the other drivers that made a safe stop. He hit his brakes and locked his wheels, but it too late. If he had braked sooner, he could have avoided the collision into the rear of my car.
The driver pulled over to the shoulder of the road. We called the police and exchanged information. He was given a traffic violation.
The other driver and his passenger was not injured. My back was injured and I had to receive treatment.
You are so correct about emotions that surface at such a time. I remember being so upset. The “what ifs” ran through my mind. What if, someone had been seriously injured or killed? What if, the other driver has not slowed at all and plowed into me?
My emotional state immediately after the accident surprised me. It surprises me, even today. I am a reconstruction engineer and I reconstruction traffic accident all the time. I see evident of horrible accidents and know that drivers and passengers in those vehicles were injured and killed. I would have thought I would have been mentally prepared for an accident.
Not so.
If my accident had been a hit-and-run, I think I would have been even more upset. The driver that hit me did the right thing. He stopped and shared his information with me.
In my work I get to hear the drivers’ stories about their speed. I reconstruct the accident and determine the true speed they were traveling at the time of the collision. Black Boxes (Event Data Recorders) are installed in vehicles and provide valuable information for reconstruction of vehicle accidents.
They record five seconds of data prior to a collision such as speed, braking, seat belt use and throttle positions.
This information is great for drivers that are within the speed limit but bad for the driver traveling above the speed limit.
The insurance companies I work for want to know the facts. The event data recorder helps provide facts about a vehicle collision.
@Elvin – So sorry to hear about your accident; you were very lucky in your situation. Thanks for reading and commenting. We hope to hear from you on the blog again soon