Did you suffer injuries in a hit-and-run crash? If so, you’re probably feeling overwhelmed and uncertain. What are your rights? How will you pay for your medical bills and car repairs? Here, THE702FIRM Injury Attorneys discuss how to handle a hit-and-run accident in Las Vegas.
Protect Yourself
It’s always wise to prepare for the worst. With hit-and-run accidents, that means purchasing key types of insurance coverage to protect you if a driver flees the scene of a crash.
Insurance companies in Nevada must offer uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage to policyholders. This optional coverage allows you to recover compensation from your own insurance company if the hit-and-run driver has no insurance or does not have a large enough policy to cover your damages. Check your policy and consult with your insurance provider to ensure you have UM/UIM coverage. This extra layer of protection can prevent you from having to cover the high costs of a crash out-of-pocket.
In addition, insurance companies offer medical payments coverage (abbreviated to “MP” or “MedPay”). MedPay provides money to be paid by your insurance company to your doctors for accident-related injuries, regardless of who is at fault. Like UM/UIM coverage, MedPay is optional in Nevada, so you should consult with an insurance agent to make sure this option is available to you.
By ensuring that your policy contains these optional coverages, you protect yourself, your family, your loved ones, and any passengers who are with you in a hit-and-run crash.
Get Medical Treatment Immediately
The best thing you can do for your health and your legal claim after a hit-and-run is to seek medical care for your injuries. Immediately after the crash, call 911 to summon police and paramedics to the scene. If you don’t need emergency medical care, see a doctor promptly afterward. This ensures you can get the treatment you need and establishes an official medical record of your condition and its connection to the hit-and-run accident.
Gather Evidence and Information About the At-Fault Driver
As soon as you can, write down as much information as you can remember about the accident. Be sure to include where, when, and how the crash occurred. Record any details you can remember about the hit-and-run driver, such as their appearance, direction of travel, the color and type of their car, and any license plate information.
If any witnesses saw the crash, ask for their contact information for follow-up statements. Finally, take photos of the accident scene, vehicle damage, and any visible injuries.
Get a Copy of the Police Accident Report
When the police respond to the hit-and-run scene, they should create an official report of the crash. Police accident reports typically contain important details about the wreck, such as statements from people who saw or were involved in the crash, accident diagrams, and professional opinions from the investigating officer.
The information in a police accident report can be critically important to your claim, so request your own copy from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Keep in mind that if the police do not investigate the crash scene, Nevada requires you to file a crash report yourself. However, in the case of a hit-and-run car accident, it’s always important to contact the police right away. The other driver committed a criminal act by fleeing the scene.
Keep Track of Accident-Related Documents
To recover compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, vehicle damage, and other losses, you’ll need evidence of your financial losses. Keep track of your medical bills, mileage and travel receipts, missed hours or days at work, and repair estimates or invoices.
Don’t Talk to the Insurance Company
You should always talk to a hit-and-run accident lawyer before making any statements to your insurance company. The adjuster may ask you many questions, probing for inconsistencies in your story and reasons to deny your claim. An attorney can communicate with the insurance company for you so you don’t say anything that could be used against you later.
If you must report the accident before hiring an attorney, keep your statements truthful, brief, and to the point. Don’t estimate or guess if you don’t know the answer to a particular question, and never agree to provide a written or recorded statement about the crash.
Similarly, be careful what you post on social media. Your accounts may not be as private as you think, and investigators will look to these sites for potentially incriminating photos or comments.
Talk to a Las Vegas Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyer
THE702FIRM Injury Attorneys are committed to helping you obtain full and fair compensation from all possible sources after a Las Vegas hit-and-run accident. Contact us today to learn more about your legal options in a free initial consultation.
