How a Lawyer Can Help After Your Hit and Run

Florida law requires all drivers who are involved in an accident to stop their vehicle, remain at the scene, and if the other driver is present, provide that person with his or her contact information. Even if the other driver isn’t present, however, the at-fault driver will need to take certain steps, including reporting the accident to the police. Unfortunately, many motorists don’t abide by this law, failing to stop at the scene, render aid, or leave their information. These are known as hit and run accidents and they have become increasingly common in Florida. In fact, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), there were 104,895 hit and run accidents in the state in 2022 alone.

 Working with Law Enforcement Officers

Recovering compensation after a hit and run accident can be complicated, as a fair amount of investigating is usually required to determine the identity of the at-fault driver. This is one of the areas where an attorney can play a particularly helpful role in hit and run accident cases, working with law enforcement officers to find the driver who fled the scene. This could require interviewing eyewitnesses, who may remember details about the at-fault driver, including the make and model of the vehicle and even a partial license plate. In other cases, footage from dashboard or security cameras can be used to identify the driver.

 Establishing Liability

Whether or not a hit and run driver faces criminal penalties for fleeing the scene of an accident, the injured party will still need to establish liability. This in turn will require the assembling and presentation of strong evidence, including the footage and eyewitness testimony used to identify the at-fault driver in the first place. An attorney can also use other evidence, including photos from the accident scene, cell phone records, and even expert testimony or accident reconstruction diagrams.

 Negotiating a Settlement

Once a legal team is able to identify a hit and run driver, they can move forward with a case by trying to prove fault for the crash. Often, the evidence is strong enough that the at-fault driver will agree to negotiate a settlement so as to avoid going to trial. Going this route can save claimants both time and money, as it avoids the drawn out process of going to court. Unfortunately, many hit and run drivers are not insured, which is why they flee the scene of the accident in the first place.

 Filing a Claim

Unfortunately, not all hit and run drivers are found. This, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that an accident victim is out of luck. Instead, hit and run victims can often file claims with their own insurers under their uninsured/underinsured motorist policies, which compensate drivers in just these kinds of situations. An experienced attorney will be able to negotiate and communicate with insurers on a victim’s behalf, giving him or her the best chance of obtaining maximum compensation.

 Contact Our Tampa Office for Legal Help

Recovering compensation after a hit and run accident can be difficult. You do not, however, have to handle this situation on your own, but could benefit from the help of an experienced attorney. Call the dedicated Tampa hit and run accident lawyers at Anderson & Anderson to learn more about how we can help.

Sources: 

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.062.html

flhsmv.gov/2023/02/01/hit-and-run-crashes-on-florida-roads-average-over-103000-per-year-drivers-urged-to-stay-at-the-scene/