If you are involved in a Los Angeles car accident, it is normal to be extremely upset and anxious. The stress and anxiety that accompanies being injured in a car accident in Southern California makes it difficult to focus on pragmatic steps to protect legal and insurance claims in the aftermath of a car crash. These challenges are only magnified if you are involved in a hit-and-run accident with a driver who flees the scene. Because of California’s continuing financial challenges, more drivers find themselves in the position of being unable to afford car accident insurance.
When an uninsured driver is involved in a Los Angeles car accident, there is a significant incentive to flee the scene of the collision to avoid civil liability and criminal charges. This is hardly a rare occurrence given that one in three California drivers is uninsured or underinsured. If you are an accident victim who has been injured by a hit-and-run driver, you may face significant challenges in obtaining the compensation you need to pay necessary medical expenses, get your vehicle repaired and obtain compensation for pain and suffering as well as other damages. At the Galstyan Law Firm, our experienced Southern California hit-and-run accident attorneys have represented many victims of drivers that flee from the scene of an accident.
The actions you take immediately following a hit-and-run collision play a substantial role in determining whether you will be compensated for your injuries and loss, as well as the amount of that compensation. If you are involved in an accident where the driver flees, you should immediately take notes of everything you remember about the accident, the vehicle, the hit-and run driver and any portion of the license plate that you remember. It is also essential to obtain the names and contact information of any witnesses in the area who may have observed the accident because they may be able to provide information to help identify the hit-and-run driver. Our Los Angeles hit-and-run attorneys also advise that you take photographs of your injury, vehicle damage or injury to others and the surrounding area. After the police are summoned to the scene, you should get the name of the police officer as well as an accident report number.
All of this information may be helpful so that our Los Angeles hit-and-run attorneys can conduct an investigation in an attempt to identify the hit-and-run driver. We will typically send an investigator to the accident scene who may be able to obtain additional evidence, such as photos from red light cameras or the surveillance videos of nearby businesses. We have helped a substantial number of hit-and-run driving victims work with law enforcement to identify the driver who caused their injuries so that they could pursue a claim for damages. Sometimes an accident victim can also pursue a claim against third parties that may have contributed to one’s accident including public entities for the unsafe design or maintenance of a roadway, vehicle manufacturers for defective car components and other parties who may contribute to an accident besides just the negligent motorist.
Despite a thorough investigation, sometimes it is impossible to determine the identity of the hit-and-run driver or to identify another responsible party. This does not mean that you cannot recover for your injuries. If you have uninsured motorist (UM) or underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage, we may be able to help you make a claim against your own insurance policy. Uninsured motorist coverage is designed to compensate a victim who is involved in an accident with a driver that does not have insurance or who flees the scene of an accident. Although UM insurance is optional coverage, its value can hardly be overstated if you are involved in an accident with a driver who cannot be identified or is not in a position to compensate you for your injuries.
If you have uninsured motorist insurance, your coverage is designed to provide the compensation that you would have been entitled to had the other driver been insured. This means you may recover economic losses such as medical expenses, lost wages, vehicle repair or replacement and future lost income based on disability. You may also recover for intangible non-economic losses, such as pain and suffering and impairment of enjoyment of life. Although you are a customer of your own insurance company, you are essentially in an adversarial relationship with your insurance company when you file a UM claim. The goal of an insurance adjuster is to avoid claims or minimize the amount paid on claims to increase profits. Our experienced Los Angeles UM attorneys can help you negotiate with your insurance company to assist you in obtaining the best possible outcome to your UM claim.