A frightening traffic accident is traumatic, especially when it results in injuries. When the other driver in a collision leaves the scene, it’s even more distressing. A hit-and-run driver is a motorist who flees after a car accident or leaves the scene after colliding with a pedestrian, cyclist, or someone else’s personal property like a fence, gate, or car. Leaving the scene of an accident before being cleared by law enforcement is a crime in New Jersey, with serious criminal penalties.
After a hit-and-run accident in Cherry Hill, a victim with property damage and/or injuries may not know where to turn. How do you file a car accident claim when the other driver flees the scene without leaving contact information?
If you were the victim of a New Jersey hit-and-run accident in Cherry Hill, an accident attorney from Cuneo & Leonetti is ready to help you navigate this uniquely challenging accident claim. Call our Cherry Hill car accident law firm today for a free case consultation.
How Can a Cherry Hill Attorney Help?
New Jersey’s no-fault insurance laws are complex and require car accident victims to file claims against their own insurance policies to recover their damages. Unfortunately, despite their glossy ads, insurance companies exist to make profits and commonly protect those profits at the expense of accident victims. If you’ve had a hit-and-run car accident in Cherry Hill, the attorneys at Cuneo & Leonetti will assertively defend your rights by doing the following:
- Use our combined decades of experience navigating New Jersey car accident cases to assertively manage your claim for prompt action
- Explain your options for compensation so you can choose the best possible strategy to move forward on your claim
- Diligently manage your claim and negotiate with the insurance company to obtain the best possible outcome for your compensation
- Communicate openly and honestly throughout the process so you remain informed about the progress of your case
At Cuneo & Leonetti, we take the time to get to know our clients and witness the impacts of the accident so we can create a more compelling claim for their full compensation. We offer free case consultations and you pay nothing until after we secure your settlement or win your case in court.
What Should You Do After a Hit and Run Accident?
All car accident claims require careful attention to detail and strong legal strategies against insurance companies that commonly undervalue or deny valid claims. This is even more common after a hit-and-run accident when the insurance company cannot investigate the other driver’s role in the accident.
It’s important to take steps to protect yourself physically and financially after any car accident, but particularly when an at-fault driver leaves the scene. If you are seriously injured, you shouldn’t try to move or do anything to cause further injury. However, if you can safely use your phone, you can take important steps to document evidence while awaiting help. You can also hand your phone to an uninjured person to do so for you if you cannot move without risking further injury. After a hit-and-run accident, take the following steps:
- First, if you act quickly enough, you may be able to use your cell phone camera to snap photos or video of the other vehicle and driver as they leave the scene. Capturing the license tag in an image is the best way for police to identify the hit-and-run driver
- Then, call 911 to report the accident and request help
- If you weren’t able to photograph the other vehicle, use your phone to make an audio or video recording while you list any details you noticed about the other car and driver while they are fresh in your mind
- Use your camera to take photos of your damaged vehicle, the accident scene, and any visible injuries
- If there are any eyewitnesses to the accident, add their contact information to your phone. An eyewitness may be the key to identifying the hit-and-run driver and proving that you didn’t cause the accident
- Give all information you collected to the police when they arrive at the scene
- Always go to the hospital immediately from the scene of the accident, preferably in an ambulance. Have a thorough evaluation and report any symptoms, even minor ones. Obtain a detailed medical report
- Call your insurance company and report that you’ve had an accident and the other driver fled the scene. Do not give further details about your medical condition until you’ve spoken to an attorney
After you report the accident to your insurance company, it’s critical to hire a Cherry Hill personal injury attorney for legal counsel in the event of serious injury. Handling a hit-and-run car accident claim is challenging in New Jersey and requires special nuance to obtain the compensation you deserve.
What Type of Compensation is Recoverable in a Hit and Run?
The amount of compensation available to you after a Cherry Hill hit-and-run accident depends on the limits of your insurance coverage. If you chose additional coverage, you may have selected an option that gives you the unlimited right to sue an at-fault driver for your damages so their insurance policy provides compensation. However, this only applies if the police identify and locate the hit-and-run driver and if the driver has insurance. Otherwise, you can still obtain compensation up to the limits of your basic New Jersey auto insurance coverage. Examples of the compensation you can recover include for damages such as the following:
- Property damage to your vehicle
- Medical expenses and future medical expenses
- Reimbursement for lost income
- In some cases, additional compensation for pain and suffering, depending on the limits of the insurance policy you chose
An attorney from Cuneo & Leonetti will carefully review your insurance coverage and calculate your damages to obtain the maximum compensation available to you under the terms of your policy and/or that of the at-fault driver if the police identify them. If you choose to add uninsured motorist coverage, that policy applies to hit-and-run drivers as well. However, insurers commonly dispute this. Your Cherry Hill hit-and-run lawyer will aggressively defend your right to compensation.
Call the Cherry Hill Hit-and-Run Car Accident Law Firm of Cuneo & Leonetti
If you or your loved one suffered serious injuries with economic damages as well as physical pain and suffering, you shouldn’t leave your future in the hands of the insurance company without aggressive legal representation on your side. Call the experienced car accident lawyers in Cherry Hill at Cuneo & Leonetti today so we can begin the best possible strategy for your car accident claim.