The law requires that drivers
in a car accident involving personal injuries to stop,
give help and provide
identification. Unfortunately,
people sometimes break this law. Maybe they do so
because they are already breaking a law (they are driving
a stolen car, they have been drinking, they have no
license or insurance).
Sometimes people just panic after an automobile
accident.
If you are struck by a car
that flees the scene, you may still be compensated for
your injuries. If
you, or a family member living in your household, has an
automobile insurance policy, that policy most likely will
cover your hit and run accident.
This coverage is generally
provided under the policy’s Uninsured / Underinsured
Motorist (called "UM" for short) provisions.
To see how UM works, please
see our What If ... section about Uninsured
Motorists.
Sometimes the other car stays
but the driver leaves, probably because it was not his or
her car. UM coverage applies to this situation.
We had a case at Serrano &
Serrano where the other driver stole our client's
car and while driving away hit and seriously injured our
client. Our client's insurance company did not want
to cover his injuries. Our client in fact had gone
to another attorney first and was told he did not have a
case. We were able to recover money for our client's
personal injuries.
We pointed out to the
insurance company that their refusal to pay did not make
sense because if the thief —
obviously an uninsured motorist —had
hit a complete stranger, that person's automobile policy
UM provisions would cover the accident. Why should
not our own client's policy cover him when his own stolen
car injures him?
We sued the insurance
company for personal injury on behalf of our client and
ultimately convinced the company to cover the
injuries. The company knew we were determined to
have our client compensated for his injuries. The
company recognized we had the skill to forcefully present
to a court how it did not make sense for the company to
refuse to pay the claim.
When You Need a Car Accident
Lawyer,
Rely on Us for Skill,
Determination and Experience.
