Hit-and-Run Accidents

Around forty-thousand hit-and-run collisions occur in Los Angeles County every year.  Of those, around eight thousand of those hit-and-runs resulted in deaths or serious injuries.  While the national average for hit-and-run collisions is about 11%, the rate is over 50% in Los Angeles County.

A study underwritten by the Automobile Club of America noted that unlicensed drivers are more than 66 times more likely to be hit-and-run drivers than licensed drivers. In fact, twenty-one percent of all fatal crashes involved drivers with no valid license.

The high number of hit-and-runs corresponds with the high number of undocumented who remain unlicensed even though immigration status is not as much the barrier to a driver’s license as it used to be.  Immigration policy has not really changed for more than a decade.  If an undocumented resident were to stay on the scene of an automobile accident, they would risk deportation, irrespective of the issuance of an AB 60 driver’s license available to the undocumented but underutilized.  In the eyes of the hit-and-run driver, the consequences of being arrested for having no license and being involved in a fatal car crash are greater or equal to the consequences of fleeing.

Approximately 60% of fatally injured hit-and-run victims are pedestrians. 58% of fatal hit-and-run accidents occur on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. 47% of fatal hit-and-run accidents occur between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m.  A high percentage of these hit-and-runs are alcohol-related and even a higher percentage flee with a suspended license for a driving under the influence conviction.

The law considers a hit-and-run an accident involving an uninsured motorist.  You must have valid uninsured motorist coverage to be compensated for injuries sustained in a hit-and-run accident.  In California, your insurance agent must provide you with uninsured motorist insurance at the same limits as your liability coverage unless you have signed a written waiver to the contrary.

California law requires that there be contact between your vehicle and the hit-and-run vehicle. So, if there is no contact, your hit-and-run claim will be denied. However, the physical contact between a hit-and-run vehicle and you or your vehicle need not be severe, even the slightest touching is sufficient.  While your policy might contain language requiring that you are required to file a police report with some dictating that you do so within 24 hours of the accident, under the law, even with have done so, you may still proceed with a hit-and-run claim.

Your hit-and-run claim will never go to court, instead, California provides that all hit-and-run accident cases be arbitrated in order to quickly and economically resolve your claim.  Do not be fooled by the informality of a hit-and-run claim.  The stakes are high, and the process can be daunting if the procedural rules are not complied with. You need an attorney well-versed in hit-and-run accidents who will get you the right medical personnel to get you the care you need and a settlement commensurate with your injury today and the consequences tomorrow.

FOCUSING ON COMPENSATION

Arthur Liberty has the experience and knowledge needed when you are involved in a hit-and-run accident. With over three decades of experience, Arthur Liberty has the resources and is the dedicated Santa Monica hit-and-run accident lawyer you need to follow through with your claim.

Arthur Liberty will thoroughly investigate the facts of the accident or incident in order to determine the legal strategy to take in your particular situation. During your initial consultation, he will thoroughly discuss the facts in your case, including potential information sources which are not apparent, including potential witnesses, video and audio recordings which must be located quickly before they are recorded over, the initial conclusions of law enforcement investigation and reports which still can be altered if addressed with early on. Arthur Liberty will try to answer all of your questions. He is committed to providing you with personal attention throughout the course of your claim and will pursue every possible means of compensation on your behalf. He will work towards maximizing your potential settlement including your medical costs, lost wages, emotional pain and suffering.

It is never easy to get through a difficult situation where you suffer a hit-and-run accident. He strives to provide caring and compassionate representation.  He will resolve your claim fairly, effortlessly, and as quickly as possible.

Contact Arthur Liberty to discuss your hit-and-run accident claim.