Our New York hit and run accident lawyers know that being involved in an accident where the other vehicle fled the scene can be a traumatizing event. Usually people who flee the scene, do so because they did something wrong. Some of the common examples that our New York hit and run lawyers have seen are cases where the operator is driving a stolen car, or is driving a car without insurance, or the other vehicle’s operator is driving while intoxicated, or has a suspended license, or has drugs in the car. Most often, the driver that fled the scene of the accident, was at fault for causing the accident.  Our New York hit and run lawyers know that the pedestrians who were hit by cars, or cars that were hit by a vehicle that fled the scene are justifiably angry, because the driver who caused the accident then left. While most victims of hit and run accidents are focused on identifying the driver who hit them, the reality is that most drivers of hit and run accidents are never identified.

YOU ARE NOT OUT OF LUCK IF YOU WERE HIT BY A VEHICLE THAT FLED THE SCENE

One of the most frequest questions that our New York hit and run accident lawyers are asked is "What do I do if I was injured in a hit an run accident?" Our New York hit and run accident lawyers, know that the law in New York protects people who were victims of a hit and run accident.  If you own a vehicle or anyone in your household owns a vehicle, then your own insurance company or the insurance company that covers the vehicle in your household has to provide uninsured motorist benefits. Uninsured motorist benefits cover accidents caused by drivers who have no insurance, either because a vehicle’s insurance has lapsed, or the car was driven without the owner’s authorization, such as a stolen vehicle.  These benefits include no fault benefits, which pay for your medical bills and lost wages, if you cannot work because of your injuries.  Also the uninsured motorist provisions of your own insurance policy, are also obligated to provide compensation for pain and suffering for your injuries, to the same extent that the unidentified or uninsured motorist would have been liable for, up to the policy limits of the insurance policy.

PEDSTRIANS INJURED IN HIT AND RUN ACCIDENTS 

Another question that our New York pedestrian accident lawyers are asked is “Who pays the medical bills for a hit and run accident?”. A common misconception is that you are not entitled to insurance benefits if you were not actually in your own car.  Our New York pedestrian accident lawyers, who have decades of experience in handling hit and run cases for pedestrians who have been hit by cars know that the pedestrian is entitled to benefits even if they were not in their car at the time. If you were a pedestrian who was hit by a car and you own your own car or reside in the same household as someone who owns a car, the insurance company for the car that you own, or the insurance company for the car in your household, has to provide you with uninsured motorist benefits, if you were hit by a car that fled the scene. Our pedestrian accident lawyers know that uninsured motorist benefits cover pedestrians hit by a car that fled the scene.   These uninsured motorist benefits include no fault benefits, which will pay your medical bills for the treatment of your injuries, and lost wages for the time that you cannot work. Also, if you sustained an injury, your own insurance company has to provide compensation for the pain and suffering for your injuries.

One of the most frequent questions our New York hit and run accident lawyers are asked is “Why is my insurance company paying if another driver was at fault”. The answer is that New York has set up a system of “No Fault” insurance benefits to provide benefits, which do not depend on who was at fault.

There are some special requirements for collecting uninsured motorist benefits. If you were injured in an accident where the drived fled the scene, you need an experienced New York personal injury lawyer because there are a number of steps you have to take to preserve your rights and you may lose your right to benefits, if you don't act promptly.  The first is the reported accident rule. To get uninsured motorist benefits, the accident must have been reported to the police within 24 hours of the accident. If the police responded to the scene, that is sufficient, if you called the police and an ambulance responded to the scene that is also sufficient. While the most common form of proof is an accident report, you can also prove that the accident was reported with cell phone records showing that you called 911, or a sprint report of a conversation with a 911 operator, even if the police did not respond to the scene.

Another requirement to get uninsured motorist benefits is the contact rule. If you were involved in a hit and run accident where the other vehicle fled the scene, you also have to demonstrate that there was contact between the other vehicle and your vehicle. If another  vehicle came into your lane, and you swerved to avoid a collision and then hit a tree, barrier or other fixed object, then you are not entitled to uninsured motorist benefits, but your own insurance carrier still has to pay your medical bills.  To prove contact with another vehicle, the insurance companies usually look at the description in the police report. If the description is vague, then you can prove contact with photographs showing that there was paint transfer, in other words, paint from the vehicle that hit you was left on your vehicle or impact damage. So it is important to take pictures of your vehicle, as soon as possible after a hit and run accident so you can prove that there was contact.