Your Trusted Personal Injury Lawyers in Waterford, CT
Under state law, everyone involved in a motor vehicle accident must stop safely at the scene, make sure everyone else involved is okay, contact emergency services if anyone needs medical help, and exchange contact and insurance information with other involved parties. Someone who fails to do any of these things before leaving the scene of the wreck could face criminal charges for evasion of responsibility—or, as it is more commonly known, a hit and run.
Despite the fact that this offense could be prosecuted as a felony in many situations, hit and run car accidents in Waterford are not uncommon, nor are they easy to file civil suit over afterward. Fortunately, you have support available from our experienced auto injury lawyers, who could help you build the strongest possible claim against the driver at fault for your injuries, as well as take full advantage of all insurance coverage available to you. Call our attorneys today, and let us fight for you.
Committing a hit and run is certainly an irresponsible act, and one that prosecutors tend to view harshly during ensuing criminal trials. Importantly, though, someone unlawfully fleeing the scene of an accident typically cannot serve as grounds for a personal injury lawsuit on its own because the focus of a lawsuit is what led to the accident happening in the first place, not what occurred afterward.
The standard of proof for a civil lawsuit against a hit-and-run driver is the same as that for any other type of car crash in Waterford. Through a preponderance of the evidence, the injured plaintiff must show that a specific reckless or careless act by the defendant was the main and direct cause of their otherwise preventable injuries. If police are able to identify a hit-and-run driver, our seasoned attorneys could provide invaluable help building a comprehensive lawsuit or settlement demand.
Unfortunately, hit-and-run drivers sometimes successfully flee the scene of a wreck without anyone being able to identify them. In a scenario like this, it is especially important to have support from knowledgeable legal counsel, mainly because our lawyers could fight for you during negotiations with insurance representatives.
Most notably, our practiced attorneys could work to maximize the amount of money you could receive after a hit-and-run car wreck in Waterford through any uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage you have included in your personal car insurance policy. This is an optional coverage that is technically designed for scenarios where an identified at-fault party does not have enough—or any—insurance coverage of their own to pay damages, but it could also be used after hit-and-run accidents since the result is still that an injured person does not have another person’s liability insurance coverage to file a claim against.
While you do have the right to seek financial restitution after being hurt in a wreck caused by someone else’s negligence, the legal system for doing so is built around the premise that you know who that at-fault person is and can name them personally in a lawsuit or settlement demand. Unfortunately, this is not always possible with hit and run car accidents in Waterford, which is one of many reasons why civil recovery can be uniquely challenging after incidents like these.
Our capable lawyers could help you understand and take full advantage of every recovery option available to you after your wreck. Call today to set up a meeting.
We are committed to provide personalized attention to each and every client’s case – no matter how large or small– because that is each client’s only case. We are proud of our firm’s reputation of combining integrity and compassion with an unflinching dedication to getting the right result. We will do what we say.
