If you are involved in an accident in the state of Pennsylvania, you may feel panicked and terrified. But if you are in a car accident and the other driver speeds away, you may feel completely overwhelmed. Follow these steps after a hit and run accident to ensure your legal rights and safety are protected.
Call For Help
The first thing you should always do is contact 911 after any accident, whether it is a hit and run or not. Make sure you are in a safe location. Let the emergency operator immediately know that the accident is a hit and run accident.
Collect Information
Hit and run accidents require even more documentation and information to prove because the other driver made the decision to leave the scene of the crash. If you are able to physically do so, try to take pictures of everything surrounding your car; the pavement, the different angles of your car, the weather, the surrounding, etc. You may also try to see if there are any chipped pieces of the other car’s paint or parts of their car that may have fallen off. The reason is that any small piece of evidence may be helpful in building your case. Additionally, collect the contact information for all the witnesses that may have seen the driver, the car, or the license plate number. Finally, consider going to the businesses that are nearby to see if they have surveillance footage that may have captured the license plate or make and model of the vehicle that left the scene of the accident. Finally, the police may be able to obtain footage from nearby traffic lights that may help identify the driver that fled the scene.
Seek Medical Care
Always seek medical attention immediately following any car accident. You may have injuries that are unnoticeable to you due to your rush of adrenaline following a hit and run car accident.
Contact Your Insurance Company
Although you were in a hit and run accident, and the accident may have been the other driver’s fault, you will need to contact your insurance company following the accident. As with all conversations with insurance companies, you need to be guarded in your responses. Never explain how you feel physically to them or that you are “feeling better.” Never tell your insurance company that the accident “wasn’t that bad” or that you will “feel fine soon, I’m sure.” Anything you say to an insurance company can be used against you to reduce your settlement amount.
Contact an Experienced Attorney
Unfortunately, there may be circumstances in which the police never find the person who fled the scene of your car accident. If they do find them, the other driver can be charged with a third-degree felony. However, these steps can help ensure that your legal rights are protected as much as possible. Contact an experienced car accident attorney to help you negotiate with your insurance company to attempt to get a settlement regarding your hit and run accident and receive the compensation you deserve. Contact our experienced personal injury attorneys at O’Donnell Law Offices. We proudly serve clients in Kingston, Wilkes Barre, Hazleton, and Pittston. Call us at 570-821-5717 or online today.
Resource:
legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/LI/consCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&ttl=75&div=0&chpt=37&sctn=43&subsctn=0