A hit and run accident can leave you dealing with serious injuries while the driver responsible disappears. If you were injured in a hit and run, a Suffolk County car accident lawyer can help you pursue compensation.
Chaikin Trial Group Injury Lawyers has won over $100 million for injury victims. If a reckless driver hit you and then fled the scene, a Suffolk County hit and run accident lawyer can work to locate them and help you seek damages.
Why Hire a Suffolk County Hit and Run Accident Attorney?
Recovering compensation for a hit and run can be challenging.
A Suffolk County personal injury lawyer can:
- Investigate the accident: We can help gather police reports, surveillance footage, photographs, witness statements, vehicle information, and other evidence that could help identify the driver.
- Calculate your losses: We can tally your medical expenses, vehicle repair costs, and other damages and determine the value of your claim.
- Handle insurance claims: We can communicate with insurance companies and attempt to negotiate a fair settlement.
- Represent you in court: If a fair settlement cannot be reached, we can fight for you in court.
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What Types of Compensation Can You Pursue?
The compensation available after a hit-and-run depends on whether the driver is identified, what insurance coverage applies, and the nature of your injuries.
Potentially available damages include:
- Medical expenses: You can seek damages for emergency treatment, hospitalization, surgery, medication, rehabilitation, physical therapy, and other accident-related medical care.
- Future medical care: You can pursue compensation for reasonably anticipated medical expenses if your injuries require ongoing care.
- Lost wages: You can seek damages for income you lost because your injuries prevented you from working.
- Reduced earning capacity: You may be able to recover additional damages if your injuries affect your ability to work or earn the same income in the future.
- Pain and suffering: You can pursue compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, limitations on your daily activities, and other effects of your injuries.
- Property damage: You can seek compensation for damage to your vehicle and other personal property.
- Punitive damages: You can pursue punitive damages if the other driver acted with a conscious disregard for the safety of others.
What Is the Statute of Limitations for a Hit and Run Lawsuit in New York?
If the driver who hit you is identified, you may be able to bring a personal injury lawsuit against them. Per NY CPLR § 214, you generally have three years from the date of the accident to do so. However, if your case involves government vehicles, injured minors, or wrongful death, a different deadline may apply.
Missing the applicable deadline can jeopardize your ability to recover compensation. A Suffolk County hit and run car accident lawyer can help make sure that doesn’t happen.
How Do You Prove a Hit and Run Accident?
Types of evidence that can help prove that another motorist hit you and then fled the scene include:
- Police reports: The accident report can document the location of the accident, vehicle descriptions, and an initial assessment of fault.
- Surveillance footage: Security cameras from nearby businesses, homes, parking lots, and traffic intersections may have captured the collision or the fleeing vehicle.
- Witness statements: People who saw the crash may be able to describe the other driver, their vehicle, their direction of travel, or the events leading up to the collision.
- Vehicle debris: Broken headlights, mirrors, paint fragments, license plate pieces, and other debris left at the scene can provide evidence about the vehicle that hit you.
- Damage to your vehicle: The location and severity of the damage to your vehicle can help establish how the collision occurred and may provide clues about the other vehicle.
- Photographs and videos: Pictures or recordings of the crash scene, vehicle damage, road conditions, and surrounding area can help prove a collision occurred.
- Medical records: Medical documentation can connect your injuries to the hit-and-run and establish the treatment and expenses resulting from the accident.
A hit and run accident lawyer in Suffolk County can gather evidence that proves another motorist crashed into you or your vehicle.
What If the Other Driver is Never Found?
If the driver who hit you is never found, you still may be able to recover compensation through your own auto insurance.
First, you may recover no-fault benefits through your own policy, which will pay up to $50,000 for medical bills and lost wages regardless of who caused the crash. In addition, since New York treats an unidentified driver as an uninsured driver, your own uninsured motorist coverage may pay for your injuries, medical costs, and pain and suffering.
It’s important to note that the insurance company will only honor your claim if you can prove that there was physical contact between the unidentified vehicle and either you or your vehicle. A Suffolk County hit and run lawyer can help gather evidence to establish a collision.
Common Injuries in Hit and Run Accidents
Hit and run crashes can cause many of the same injuries as other motor vehicle accidents, such as:
- Whiplash and other neck injuries
- Back and spinal injuries
- Broken or fractured bones
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Concussions
- Shoulder and knee injuries
- Internal injuries
- Nerve damage
- Soft-tissue injuries
- Cuts, bruises, and lacerations
- Psychological trauma
Steps to Take After a Hit and Run Accident in Suffolk County
The steps you take after a hit-and-run can affect both your health and your ability to prove what happened.
It’s critical to:
- Write down the vehicle description: Record the make, model, color, approximate year, license plate information, damage, and any distinctive features you noticed.
- Document the accident scene: Take photographs of your vehicle, the surrounding roadway, traffic signs, debris, skid marks, and any visible injuries.
- Find witnesses: Ask people who saw the crash for their contact information.
- Look for surveillance cameras: Nearby businesses, homes, parking lots, traffic intersections, and other properties may have cameras that captured the collision.
- Seek medical attention: Get evaluated promptly, even if your injuries initially seem minor. Some accident-related symptoms can take time to manifest.
- Notify your insurance company: Report the accident as required by your policy, but don’t give a recorded statement or agree to a settlement until you consult a lawyer.
- Speak to an attorney: Our lawyers can assist with your case and start investigating your accident right away.
Talk to a Hit and Run Accident Attorney in Suffolk County
The aftermath of a car accident can be distressing, especially if the other driver flees. A Suffolk County hit and run accident attorney from Chaikin Trial Group Injury Lawyers can look into the accident, work to track down the other driver, and help pursue compensation for your losses.
Schedule a free consultation to get help with your case.
