Usually after a car accident, there is an investigation to determine who was at fault. Injuries are covered by each driver's insurance. Property damage issues are worked out through negotiations or litigation between the drivers and their insurers.
In a hit-and-run accident, however, obtaining compensation is one-sided. Normally, the police will make an effort to track down a driver who left the scene of a crash — and when that person is found, coverage for injuries and property damage are settled as in any car accident. Criminal charges may be brought by state prosecutors against the driver who left the scene of the accident.
But often, the offending driver is never found after a hit-and-run accident involving one or more of the following:
Some hit-and-run accidents are made more challenging for injury victims by the absence of any evidence at all if there was no actual collision. Did another car force you off the road and cause you to crash — only to disappear from the scene? Sometimes drivers are not even aware that they caused accidents. If you were badly hurt, with a head injury or shock, accompanied by memory loss, this information may be lost forever unless there were eyewitnesses or tire marks on the road.
Contact a Ridgewood Highway Accidents Attorney After a Hit-and-Run Accident
Pursuing and obtaining compensation after a hit-and-run accident will normally mean tapping into your UI/UIM coverage (uninsured motorist, underinsured motorist). Do not be surprised if your insurance company is less than forthcoming about all sources of compensation. An experienced New Jersey hit-and-run accident lawyer from Seigel Cappozi Law Firm LLC can offer valuable advice and help ensure that you receive all compensation you are entitled to after an accident involving your vehicle and a vehicle driven by someone who left the scene before calling police or exchanging contact information.
