Sealy Hit & Run Attorney
In most cases, motorists who are injured in accidents through no fault of their own have the option of filing a claim with the at-fault party’s insurer to recover compensation for collision-related losses. This is not always possible, especially when the at-fault party flees the scene and is apprehended by the police. Fortunately, those who find themselves in this situation may still have other legal options when it comes to recovering compensation. It is also true, however, that because hit and run accident victims cannot file a claim against another driver’s insurer, the injured party’s ability to collect compensation will depend largely on his or her own insurance coverage. To learn more about your own options following a hit and run accident, please call an experienced Sealy hit & run attorney today.
Filing a Claim with Your Insurer
In Texas, drivers are required to stop and take certain actions after being involved in a crash that results in either property damage or physical injury. Unfortunately, many drivers fail to heed these rules, which can leave injured parties struggling to obtain compensation for their crash-related injuries and property damage. In these cases, injured parties may need to file a claim under their own policies, which could include:
- Uninsured Motorist (UM) bodily injury coverage, which pays for medical bills, lost wages, disability, and pain and suffering, up to a person’s policy limits;
- Uninsured Motorist property damage coverage, which helps policyholders pay for vehicle repair or replacement;
- Collision coverage, which covers the repair or replacement of a damaged vehicle, but unlike UM policies, doesn’t require a showing of fault on the part of the other driver;
- Medical payment coverage, which provides reimbursement for medical expenses, regardless of who was at fault; and
- Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage, which can pay for medical bills and up to 80 percent of a person’s lost income even if the injured party cannot provide proof of fault.
Even though hit and run victims are usually required to deal with their own insurance company, filing this type of claim is not always a straightforward endeavor and injured parties may still need to prove that contact occurred during the accident by submitting video camera recordings, photos of the damaged vehicle, and eyewitness statements.
Filing a Civil Claim
Most hit and run drivers are not usually identified. If, however, a hit and run driver is tracked down through a photograph taken at the time of the accident, a video camera recording, or eyewitness testimony, injured parties could attempt to file a claim with that driver’s insurer. It is also not uncommon for hit and run drivers to flee the scene of an accident because they are not insured at all, in which case, the victim may need to file a civil claim in court, seeking reimbursement for medical bills, property damage, and other losses.
Contact Our Sealy Car Accident Law Firm
If another driver caused you to suffer injuries in an accident, but failed to remain at the scene, you should not be left without compensation. Call 281-347-3247 or reach out to The West Law Office, PLLC online to speak with experienced Sealy car accident lawyer Sue E. West about your legal options following a hit and run accident.
