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From the Attorney’s Office: Will Insurance Companies Be of Aid to You if You’ve Become a Victim of a Hit and Run Accident?

October 8, 2018 by  
Filed under Money/Business, Weekly Columns

(Akiit.com) As if being a victim of a car accident wasn’t already bad enough, being involved in a hit and run collision provides even more complicated challenges. For example, receiving compensation from insurance for injuries and other damages in a hit in run accident is not always as simple as receiving compensation from a non hit and run accident.

On the bright side, there are a few aspects of your hit and run case that may indicate whether or not you will be qualified to receive monetary aid from insurance at all. Take these three scenarios as examples:

1. If the suspect is never tracked down

If the suspect is never found by police, a claim cannot be made towards the suspect’s insurance company, as expected. In fact, one big reason why suspects flee a collision scene is often because they don’t have insurance to begin with.

In this case, you may qualify for coverage under your own insurance. According to the DMV, your insurance should provide compensation if your policy includes uninsured motorist coverage (even if it is not known whether the suspect has insurance or not, but it is presumed they don’t). Uninsured coverage can potentially pay for both bodily injury and property damage.

2. If the suspect is tracked down but doesn’t have insurance

Despite the fact that it is illegal to drive without car insurance, many motorists on the road do not have such. Of course, you can’t receive coverage from a suspect’s insurance if they don’t have insurance at all.

But fortunately, you may still be able to receive compensation if there were any injuries or damages involved in your collision. Getting in touch with an attorney can help you figure out a legal route to obtain the compensation you deserve. But if for some reason this fails, you can always file a claim with your insurance company if hit and run accidents are covered.

3. If the suspect is tracked down and has insurance

If the suspect of the hit and run accident is tracked down and has insurance, all the better. This is the easiest of all scenarios, but chances are, it won’t always be most likely to occur. In this scenario you could then file a claim with the suspect’s insurance policy to receive compensation for your damages or injuries.

To get a better idea of how hit and run accidents are covered by insurance, visit DaveAbels.com/hit-and-run.html for more information.

Conclusion

With hit and run cases being more complex than your average collision in terms of getting compensation, it is not impossible. Primarily, whether or not you can receive compensation for collision damages all comes down to whether or not the suspect is found and if the suspect has insurance. If either of these is not true, your own insurance may provide hit and run coverage.

But because understanding your legal rights and dealing with insurance claims can get complex, speaking with an attorney is your best bet when it comes to being involved in a hit and run accident.

Staff Writer; Paul Brown


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