Maison Law of California represents the runners and walkers struck by hit-and-run drivers and makes sure they receive the support they need to recover. Injury compensation is available for victims even when a hit-and-run driver escapes and is never located and arrested. You can discuss your options to secure support in a free case consultation with a real running accident lawyer. These information sessions by phone, online, or in person are confidential and they come with no obligation. Contact us today to set up a free case review to find out how to earn more for your hit-and-run accident claim.
Do I Need a Lawyer After a Running Accident Caused by a Hit-And-Run Driver?
If a careless driver caused your accident and your injuries go beyond a few bumps and bruises and car damage, you may need a lawyer to secure fair compensation for your hardships.
If the hit-and-run driver is caught, the driver’s insurance provider may try to blame you for what happened or downplay your injuries. Your lawyer won’t allow these tactics to affect the amount of support you receive as you heal.
If the hit-and-run driver isn’t located, you’ll usually be filing a claim with your car insurance company. It might seem like your own insurer would take great care of you, but that’s not always the case. Your representative can work to limit the compensation you receive and leave you paying for some of your own bills. Your lawyer fights back and makes sure you have everything you need to rebuild your life.
California Pedestrian Hit-And-Run Accident Dangers
A car colliding with a vulnerable jogger can cause devastating injuries. Traumatic injuries might result and victims could spend weeks in the hospital. The physical consequences of a pedestrian collision are frightening enough. And yet, a difficult situation gets much worse, if the driver responsible decides to flee the scene and never look back.
California Hit-and-run drivers create problems for thousands of pedestrian victims each year. In Los Angeles County, California’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) charted almost 3,500 serious pedestrian accidents in 2022. Those accidents led to over 300 tragic deaths. Researchers say that 1,047 of those pedestrian accidents involved felony hit-and-run charges.
Hit-and-run drivers make heartless decisions that endanger their victims’ lives. Leaving someone down in the street leaves might make them wait longer for medical attention. They may also be left in the path of other unsuspecting drivers if the collision isn’t reported.
Sadly, many hit-and-run drivers escape justice, leaving victims and their families to pay for expensive medical recoveries. In the worst cases, families might be forced to pay funeral costs after a deadly hit-and-run that takes a runner’s life.
These and other hardships are left at the feet of pedestrian victims when they should be focused on healing. Fortunately, Maison Law’s runner injury lawyers have a long history of helping accident victims find recovery support, even when an at-fault driver isn’t located.
How Can I Get Compensation After a Running Accident Involving a Hit-And-Run Driver?
After a hit-and-run pedestrian accident, police will be looking for a suspect. When suspects are caught, they will face a criminal hearing. But runners struck by cars don’t have to wait on the outcome of a criminal trial to file an injury claim.
Your civil personal injury accident claim can be submitted as soon as you and your personal injury lawyer feel it’s ready. Hopefully, filing as soon as possible will secure support for you and your family faster. The criminal charges the hit-and-run will face are settled separately.
Can I Get Accident Compensation If a Hit-And-Run Driver Isn’t Located?
If a hit-and-run suspect flees and is never brought to justice, most victims still have a way to secure support through recovery. If injured joggers have car insurance or are covered by a family member’s insurance policy, they should file an uninsured motorist claim.
This claim is filed with the victim’s own insurance provider. It would utilize the Uninsured (UM) motorist coverage that comes with most car insurance policies. It’s not mandatory to have it in California, but in most cases, policyholders have to take significant steps to have UM coverage removed from a policy.
This claim would help runners secure the compensation they need to pay medical bills and help to keep their families financially afloat while they lose paychecks at work.
Compensation Available for Runner Hit By Motorists
Your lawyer fully investigates your pedestrian collision and collects evidence to show that the driver made a careless or reckless mistake. Your lawyer will also help when you must ask your own insurer for financial help.
Whether you have to seek financial support from your own auto insurance provider or from an at-fault driver’s policy, you’ll be asking for full compensation for several factors:
- All current medical expenses and the cost of care expected to be needed in the future.
- Physical pain and emotional trauma in the accident and during recovery.
- Compensation for a loss of enjoyment of life.
- Compensation for a loss of consortium (the loss of intimacy with family members).
- Travel costs getting to and from doctor’s visits and surgery consultations.
- Damaged personal property compensation.
- Past and future lost earnings and benefits.
- Wrongful death benefits. Families who have lost a close relative in a hit-and-run can file a wrongful death claim to receive support with burial expenses and medical bills left behind. They’ll also seek help with making up the income the victim can no longer provide close relatives.
Contact a California Hit-And-Run Accident Lawyer
After a pedestrian collision involving a serious injury, please talk with a California Runner Personal Injury Lawyer about your options. You should know about all of the benefits available to you and what your injuries are really worth before speaking to an insurance adjuster.
Schedule a free case consultation that comes with no obligation. It’s a no-risk opportunity to learn about your best path to finding support if you have been hit by a hit-and-run driver.
If you feel Maison Law can help you earn more, you don’t need any upfront money to hire us. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement you are awarded.
