With highways and roads often backed up with traffic, automobile accidents aren’t uncommon. In fact, according to the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, there were 294,757 car crashes in the state in 2012 alone. Even more unfortunate, many car crashes each year are hit and runs, in which the driver who caused the accident speeds away from the scene before exchanging information.
If you’ve been involved in a hit-and-run accident and have sustained injuries or damages to your physical property, your own body or your mental state, you may think that pursing a claim is impossible. However, if a driver commits a hit and run, he or she may face criminal charges, and you may be entitled to compensation for physical injuries, emotional trauma and monetary costs. If you’ve been the victim of a hit-and-run accident, we can help pursue fair compensation.
Types of Hit-and-Run Accidents
While a hit and run usually refers to an accident between two vehicles, a hit and run may involve auto debris on the road, objects that fall off a vehicle and cause an accident, a “pile-up” or chain-reaction accident, or accidents that involve motor vehicles other than cars or that involve pedestrians.
Who’s liable in a hit-and-run accident?
In the event that an accident occurs, it is illegal to leave the scene of the accident. If you’ve been involved in an accident in which the motorist who hit you left the scene, then he or she may be guilty of a misdemeanor simply for leaving. If property damage or physical injury occurred, the driver may face more severe criminal liabilities. In fact, leaving the scene of an accident in the event that the person who has been hit has sustained a serious injury is a felony in New York.
In addition to criminal liability, you may be able to recover compensation by pursing a civil liability case against the driver who hit you. If the driver acted irresponsibly at the time of the accident, and if that irresponsibility contributed to the accident, then the driver may be negligent. If negligence can be proven, then you may be awarded damages. Of course, you also can file a no-fault insurance claim to recover damages; in fact, you may pursue a liability claim only if you suffered serious injuries or your damages exceed policy limits.
In the event that the driver involved in the hit and run cannot be found, you are still entitled to compensation under the uninsured motorist section of your insurance policy. Regardless of whether or not the driver involved is apprehended, your insurance company is responsible for paying the compensation you deserve. We can help pursue the compensation to which you are entitled.
Speak with a New York Hit-and-Run Attorney at NO COST
If you’ve been the victim of a hit-and-run accident, seek the representation that you deserve. A lawyer can provide you with more information about how to prove negligence, what types of compensation you may be eligible to receive and how to pursue a claim against the driver who hit you.
The hit-and-run accident lawyers at Gacovino, Lake & Associates, P.C. are here to help you. To get started filing your claim today, give us a call at 800-550-0000 or contact us online.
