HOW TO HANDLE A HIT AND RUN ACCIDENT

WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF A HIT-AND-RUN ACCIDENT?

If you drive a car, you know for a fact that accidents are always a possibility. One may think that he won’t be the victim of a car crash because he is responsible. Well, in spite of driving responsibly, there is always a chance of something going wrong because one can never control the external circumstances. Therefore, it is essential to stay prepared and determine what to do in case of an accident. Continue reading this article to learn more about the dos and don’ts of things one must do right after a hit-and-run accident.

Ensure Safety Of The Passengers: In case someone is injured during the hit-and-run, the first thing you must do is to call 911. Health comes first; everything else can wait. The priority should be to ensure the health of anyone hurt. If you think that the police and emergency services will take time to arrive where you are, and you have someone else offering help to reach the hospital faster, you may take the offer and get the patients to the hospital.

Gather Witnesses: When one is the victim of a hit-and-run accident, one often fails to identify the person who did the damage. Therefore, it is imperative to gather witnesses who might have seen the crash happening and be a witness at the stand if needed. You can ask the eyewitness questions to track down more information about the car. In case you can somehow trace the vehicle that caused harm, note down the following information.

• The other vehicle’s model name, the color of the car, and license plate number.
• Description of the driver and his contact details, including names and phone numbers.
• Location of the accident.
• Time of the accident.
• Take multiple pictures of both the cars to show the immediate damage done by the accident.

Call The Police: Even if you don’t have enough information about the other vehicle, don’t hesitate to call the police and report the event. Since you are not at fault here, you have nothing to fear. Reporting the incident to the police is mandatory to make the event official. You need to produce official documents if you wish to be compensated for your loss. Be sure to call the police within 24 hours of the accident.

Call The Insurance Company: Now that you have done everything you are supposed to, it is time to call the insurance company and let them investigate the accident. The insurance company must provide compensation for the loss you endured and contribute to the medical charges if there are any. If the driver of another vehicle is traced, he must be held accountable for his actions. At times there might be complications regarding the compensation process. Therefore, be sure to contact a car accident attorney to be represented by at court. The hit-and-run claim is covered under the collision coverage of your insurance. An experienced solicitor knows how to deal with such situations and can, therefore, get a better settlement from the insurance company for the loss.