Despite our best efforts at being safe on the road, we cannot guarantee that drivers around us have the same awareness or take the same level of care when they are navigating streets and highways. Some of us will inevitably find ourselves in collisions, which can be stressful in and of themselves. Even worse, however, is when someone hits us with their car and chooses to flee the scene rather than taking the necessary actions to remedy the situation. Have you ever found yourself in a hit-and-run accident?
Do you know what you need to do if you are involved in such a collision? If not, take a look at the guide below to learn more about how you will need to handle this type of situation if it happens to you.
Take Down As Much Information As Possible
Although it can be tempting to try to flag down or pursue the driver who collided with your vehicle, it is highly recommended that you do not take this course of action. Instead, try to take down as much information as possible before the driver is able to flee the scene. This includes information such as their license plate number, the model and year of the car that they were driving (along with information such as the color of the vehicle and any identifying features), and which direction the driver left in. While you may not be able to record everything before they take off, every little bit of information helps when police begin investigating the incident.
Call The Police Right Away
With the information above fresh in your mind, make sure to call the police as soon as possible to report the hit-and-run. Give them all of the details that you can and make sure to take as many pictures of the scene as possible for your records later. If possible, try to get the information of any witnesses as well as any recorded video from third parties that may provide further details. If this was a local incident, there may be someone who knew the person, which can help you find them if you know their name. You can easily find people by using GoLookUp, an information database with public records such as names, addresses, and contact information. Even in accidents like these, other people may be able to catch onto details that you missed during the crash.
Reach Out To Your Insurance Provider
As soon as possible, the next resource that you should reach out to is your insurance provider. With all of the evidence you need and an official police report filed, you can ensure that your insurance provider will be able to see that you had no fault in the accident and that the police are currently looking out for the individual at fault. If you decide to wait to report it, you lose precious time, credibility, and may forget some of the details that you took notice of during the accident.
If you happened to be injured during the hit-and-run, you may also want to take legal action against the individual responsible. This is another thing you will want to take care of right away by filing a personal injury claim for a car accident. If the police are able to find them, this ensures that you are compensated for the medical bills and other expenses that you had to take care of after the crash took place.
Although hit-and-run situations can be scary, they can be more manageable if you know what to do long before you find yourself in one. Take the above as an opportunity to learn more about what goes into the process and how to handle the situation. As long as you are informed, you will be able to properly handle these types of accidents.
