Car accidents are, on their own, terrifying and tough to recover from. That stress and terror end up compounded when the driver responsible for a car accident speeds away from the scene. Survivors like you may be left feeling as though you’ve now got a mountain of losses to contend with and that you have to address those losses alone.
This, however, is not the case. Hit and run car accident attorneys can work with local police to identify the party responsible for your accident and hold them accountable for their misconduct. You can call on the team with Triumph Law after an accident to discuss your right to civil accident and financial support throughout your recovery.
Reacting to a Hit and Run Car Accident
The shock of a hit and run accident can leave you unsure of how to address your losses for days after your actual accident. Don’t let shock get the best of you. There are concrete steps you can take to effectively manage your time after a hit and run accident.
Call on an Attorney
It may not be your first instinct to call an attorney after a hit and run accident, but connecting with a legal representative within hours of your accident can prove a boon to your long-term investigation. Our attorneys can help you communicate your losses with local police. We can also investigate the circumstances that led to your accident.
All the while, you can focus on recovering from your losses and ensuring any passengers involved in the accident receive medical attention or otherwise make it home safely. It’s a hit and run car accident lawyer’s job to take the bulk of the post-accident stress off your plate while still giving you opportunities to pursue justice.
Stay in Contact With Local Police
A hit and run constitutes a criminal traffic violation in California. You need to report your accident as soon as you can after your accident. Make sure to describe the person who hit you as best as you can.
If a bystander got a picture of the driver’s license plate, make sure you report as much to the police. Law enforcement can investigate a liable party while you focus on recovering.
What’s more, stay in touch with the local police as they investigate the party responsible for your accident. If you’re working with an attorney, you can have your representative reach out to the police department and ensure that an investigation remains active until they find the person responsible for your accident.
Reach Out to Your Insurance Provider
Most insurance providers require you to report a car accident within 24 hours of the accident itself. Afterward, your provider may send an adjuster to your property to assess the severity of the losses you endured in your accident.
While you should abide by the communicative deadlines set by your insurance provider, you should also be wary of an adjuster’s assessment of your losses. Insurance providers often try to underestimate the value of their clients’ cases to preserve the company’s bottom line.
With that in mind, an attorney can help you navigate conversations about your losses and the value of your case with your insurance provider. We can argue for your right to comprehensive compensation if it looks like your insurance provider may try to deny you a percentage of the protection you’ve been paying for.
How to File a Hit and Run Car Accident Claim
Once you’ve discussed your case with an insurance provider and local police, it’s time to consider what legal options you have available to you. You have the right to demand that the party liable for your losses help you fund your recovery so long as you can identify the party responsible for your accident.
If you want to demand damages for your hit and run losses, your hit and run accident lawyers need to file a personal injury claim with your local civil court. Your complaint needs to use evidence to defend both your assertion of fault and your claims regarding the overarching value of your losses.
Your Filing Deadline
If you want to take civil action against the party responsible for your hit and run accident, you need to do so within the deadline set by California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. This personal injury statute of limitations gives you no more than two years to act on your losses. You must file within this deadline, or else a civil court may deny your right to compensation.
Criminal and Civil Overlap in Hit and Run Cases
Hit and run accidents can appear in both civil and criminal court. If the state moves against the party responsible for your accident in criminal court, you need to stay on top of that case’s progress. If a driver gets convicted of a hit and run in criminal court, you may use that conviction in your civil case.
Hit and run convictions specifically constitute proof of negligence when brought into a civil case. In other words, a criminal conviction may make it easier for you to claim that you deserve damages for your losses before a civil jury.
Our Attorneys Can Speed Up Your Post-Accident Recovery
Taking legal action in civil court after a hit and run accident can be complicated, given the criminal nature of a liable driver’s behavior. Fortunately for hit and run survivors, the overlap between a criminal and civil hit and run case can make it easier for survivors to secure post-accident compensation.
If you have questions about the nature of your recent hit and run accident, bring them to Triumph Law. Our hit and run car accident attorneys can discuss the circumstances that led to your crash and help you explore your legal options. Contact us today using our online contact form or by calling our main office, and we can schedule your initial case consultation.
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