Under Nevada law, any motorist involved in a crash must immediately stop their vehicle and promptly notify the police about the wreck. Unfortunately, dozens of people each month hit the gas and flee the scene. Injured victims are rightly furious. Not only has the motorist broken the law, they have left you on your own to get an ambulance and seek help. That conduct is inexcusable.
At Ladah Law firm, we work with victims injured in all types of Las Vegas car accidents. Give us a call if you were hurt in a hit-and-run collision. There is a chance you can still receive compensation, but you need to take the following steps.
The police can search for the driver who hit you, and they should notify the public to be on the lookout for the driver. You can help the police by noting key details about the car, such as:
If you got a good look at the driver, you can also share details such as the driver’s gender, hair color, age, race, and anything else that’s important (like eyeglasses).
You should still report an accident to Highway Patrol or the Las Vegas Police Department. Tell them you were involved in a hit and run and share what information you have about the driver.
Reporting the accident is critical. If you don’t, then your own insurer might believe you crashed your car yourself, possibly because you fell asleep or were texting and driving. You want to document as much as possible that a crash really happened and someone else is to blame.
With luck, someone else saw the hit and run. They can offer their eyewitness testimony about the collision. If you can move around, please talk to witnesses. Ask them for name and contact information, in the event we need to speak to them.
The responding officer might talk to witnesses, but you don’t want them to leave before he gets to the scene.
Medical records help document you were involved in a serious crash. Go to the emergency room and tell the doctor what happened. Also point out any pain you are feeling and its location. The doctor can order appropriate tests for diagnosis.
Prompt treatment improves the odds that you will recover fully. We have seen many car accident injuries quickly degenerate if a victim doesn’t receive swift care. For example, minor whiplash could become a major disability, or a bulging disc could turn into chronic pain.
Your vehicle contains important clues about the vehicle that hit you. Paint smears can tell us the car’s color. The location and size of the dents can tell us the type of vehicle that struck you, as well as its speed.
This evidence is critical to establishing that you were, indeed, hit by another car. Wait to fix your vehicle until you hire an attorney, even if that means you need to use a rental vehicle.
You should promptly provide details like the location, day, and time. Tell them it was a hit and run.
You might have optional uninsured motorist coverage (UM), which can pay for a hit-and-run accident if you weren’t at fault. This insurance is a lifesaver to have for precisely these situations. Your insurance should be in the same amount as your liability coverage and can cover medical care, lost income, and similar losses.
We can immediately swing into action collecting other evidence. For example, a nearby business might have pointed a security camera to the road. It could have captured the collision, and your attorney can ask the business to preserve this evidence. We might zoom in and even see a license plate number.
We can also work with your insurer to open the claim. Unsurprisingly, they sometimes question whether you were really hit by another driver. If you were at fault, then they don’t have to pay compensation. We can negotiate a settlement, if necessary, with your UM insurer. This is a reason to quickly reach out to a lawyer to help you.
Our law firm is eager to meet with anyone injured in a crash, including a hit and run collision. Contact us today at (702) 252-0055 to schedule a meeting.