South Florida Injury Attorneys Blog
If you or a loved one was injured in a hit and run crash in Florida, you may need to explore multiple forms of insurance coverage to obtain the fair amount of compensation you may deserve. Trying to figure out which policies will cover your damages can be complicated without the help of an experienced car accident lawyer on your side that has had past experience with this.
You may think you have enough insurance coverage. However, many serious injuries often leave victims with outrageous medical bills ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. If your medical costs exceed your policy limits, you may need to pay the difference out-of-pocket.
Have the licensed car accident lawyers at the law office of Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers listen to the details of your hit and run claim in a free, initial consultation. We know how to assess the facts to help build strong cases for accident victims trying to pursue the full and fair amount of compensation they need for a healthy recovery. We aim to protect the rights of hit and run accident victims in Boca Raton and throughout the state of Florida (by appointment only) by helping them hold negligent parties liable for damages such as medical costs, loss of income from missing work, pain and suffering, and property losses.
Read on to learn more about your legal options after sustaining damages from a hit and run crash. Florida has strict laws against drivers who illegally leave the scene of an accident and injury victims may recover compensation, even if the at-fault driver goes unidentified. Find out whether you may be eligible for compensation to pay for your damages.
What is Personal Injury Protection (PIP)?
Since Florida is one of a dozen states which follows the no-fault rule, it means that regardless of who caused the motor vehicle accident, your own insurance policy will cover the damages up to the policy limit. Your motor vehicle insurance must include Personal Injury Protection (PIP), which covers up to $10,000 in medical and disability damages and $5,000 in death benefits if a fatality occurs as a result of the crash.
When injuries are severe, your medical expenses exceed your PIP policy limit, and the person who caused the accident cannot be found, you may need to seek other forms of coverage to pay the difference.
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist Coverage
Although Uninsured Motorist Coverage is not required in the state of Florida, insurers are required to offer this type of additional coverage to further protect drivers from a potential hit and run situation. Our lawyers recommend all drivers purchase as much uninsured motorist coverage that they can reasonably afford. This type of coverage is designed to kick in if you exceed your PIP coverage or the other driver is uninsured or underinsured.
When the at-fault driver leaves the scene of the crash, it is treated as an uninsured motorist claim. The uninsured motorist coverage will cover the remaining balance of your damages, up to the policy limits, depending on how much coverage you purchased.
Although some auto insurance policies include this coverage, it is usually optional. It is important that you check your policy and understand the types of injuries that are covered with your uninsured motorist coverage. You should typically be covered for bodily injury, sickness, disease, and wrongful death with uninsured motorist coverage, but you may not be covered for pain and suffering, mental trauma, or inconvenience. Your lawyer can go over your policy with you and answer any questions regarding your coverage.
What to Do After a Hit and Run Accident
If you or someone you know was the victim of a hit and run accident, it is important to notify the police immediately and request medical assistance if you or any of your passengers were injured in the crash. Reporting your accident to the local authorities gives immediate credibility to your case when you file an injury claim with your insurer. Not having a police report may cause the insurance company to question the validity of your claim. Without a report, they could even try to argue that your injury was caused by an unrelated incident.
Be sure to take photos of your injuries and the accident scene, along with any other helpful clues that may help identify the perpetrator, such as vehicle or property damage, skid marks, shattered glass, or paint marks from the other vehicle. As the plaintiff, it is up to you, with the help of your lawyer, to provide enough evidence to prove your claim. Otherwise, your claim may be denied by the insurance company for insufficient evidence.
After the crash, it is important to collect contact information from any possible witnesses who may have seen the events leading up to the accident. Witness statements can sometimes hold significant weight when determining fault for a hit and run crash and could help to identify the fleeing driver.
While your insurance provider may attempt to contact you with a quick settlement offer, it is important to understand the true value of your claim before settling for less than what you may deserve. Insurers have been known to find ways to save themselves money by using “bad faith” tactics to avoid making big payouts to injury victims.
Keep your conversations with insurance adjusters to a minimum as they may hold anything you say against you. Instead, let your attorney communicate and negotiate with insurers on your behalf. This will help preserve the value of your insurance claim. If your hit and run claim has merit, your attorney can accurately calculate your damages and help you fight for the full and fair amount of compensation you may deserve.
Our Dedicated Lawyers Are Always Standing By
If you have any legal questions or insurance questions regarding your hit and run accident claim, the dedicated lawyers at the law office of Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers are always standing by and ready to help. Our team of legal professionals is available to discuss your claim, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The law firm of Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers aims to ensure justice is served by helping our clients hold at-fault parties liable for damages, including cases involving hit and run accidents. Altogether, our firm has recovered more than $100 million combined in successful verdicts and settlements for our clients. Allow our licensed car crash lawyers to help you protect your rights to seek the legal compensation you may deserve.
Schedule a complimentary, initial evaluation to learn more about your legal options so that our team of legal professionals can guide you through the complexities of the legal process.
Call the law firm of Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers today at (561) 800-8000. We never settle for less.