Fort Lauderdale Hit-and-Run Lawyer
Being involved in any accident can be a scary experience, but when you are in an accident and the other driver flees the scene, it can cause serious emotional distress in addition to the physical injuries and the psychological harm that an accident does in any circumstances. In the state of Florida, a hit and run is a serious crime with very serious penalties, but they still account for nearly 25% of all accidents in the state. There are many different reasons that someone may decide to flee the scene of an accident, whether they are driving a stolen car, operating without a drivers license, driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or any other number of situations that would motivate someone to run.
If you have been in an accident that has turned into a hit and run, the most important thing that you can do is stay calm and call the police. Take a note of any details that you noticed about the vehicle as soon as possible.
Read more about hit and run accidents in Fort Lauderdale, and how the team at Friedland & Associates can help you get the money that you deserve after an unfortunate and frustrating situation like this. Our experience with the Broward courts, Fort Lauderdale police, and hit and run accidents of all sorts will be a major asset to your case as we fight on your behalf to get you what you are entitled to.
What To Do After a Hit and Run Accident
Get To a Safe Place
As with any accident, the first thing to do is pull to the side of the road if possible, or otherwise get yourself into a safe area. The only exception to this is if you suspect that either you or one of your passengers has suffered from a neck or spine injury, which means that they should remain as still as possible until professional emergency responders arrive to begin treating victims.
Call the Police and Record All Relevant Information
After you have evaluated the injuries and gotten as safe as is reasonably possible, contact the police so that they can secure the area, write a report of the accident, and take any information you can recall about the vehicle and/or the driver that fled the scene. It is important that you note as many details as possible as soon after the accident as you can, because memory fades and you may find yourself unable to recall, or unsure of important details that could help lead to locating the other driver. This includes things like the vehicle make, model, any parts of the license plate number you can remember, the state that the car’s plates were from, the color of the vehicle, a description of the driver, and more. Police may be able to match your description with surveillance tapes, eyewitness accounts, or may even have a suspicion of who the driver was and can use this information to confirm.
Get Medical Attention Immediately
If you or any of your passengers have suffered from any serious injuries, it is absolutely essential that the wounds are treated by a medical professional as soon as possible. This may mean taking a ride to a hospital in an ambulance, or seeing your doctor immediately to have your injuries looked at. What you may think is just a minor bump, scrape, or headache may turn out to be something far more significant such as a traumatic brain injury, hematoma, or some other serious injury that requires immediate medical intervention to avoid any long-term complications.
In addition to ensuring that you are treated appropriately, this has a secondary benefit of establishing an additional paper trail, which will be incredibly important if and when we need to negotiate with the insurance company or present the situation to a judge.
Collecting After a Hit and Run
There are a few possible outcomes after a hit and run car accident in Fort Lauderdale. Ideally, the police are able to locate the driver and they will have to answer for their crime in both criminal and civil court. However, if the offender is not located then we will need to deal directly with your own insurance company in order to get you the financial support that you need after your injuries. We will take a custom approach depending on these factors and more to ensure that you are fairly treated and that you are able to get the money you need in order to focus on recovering and getting your life back in order as soon as possible.
