Sacramento Hit-And-Run Accident Attorneys
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- The Facts: Hit-and-Run Accidents
- Automobile Accident Laws
- What Is the Time Limit for Reporting Hit-and-Run Accidents?
- Accident Reports and the California Highway Patrol
- The Department of Motor Vehicles and Accident Reporting
- Seeking Financial Compensation After a Hit-and-Run Accident
- What Causes Individuals to Flee Accident Scenes?
- Sources of Financial Compensation
- Determining If an Automobile Insurance Policy Has Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage
- Paying Deductibles for Hit-and-Run Accidents
- Steps to Take Following a Hit-and-Run Accident in Sacramento
- A Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento Will Help You Seek the Financial Compensation You Deserve
Sacramento is the governmental center of California, where state legislators, lobbyists, and policy analysts live and work. Situated near the American River and the Sacramento River, Sacramento is home to approximately 520,000 residents. As one of the largest capital cities in the United States, it is a diverse, energetic, and exciting place to live. Contact our award-winning law firm if you are seeking a hit-and-run accident attorney in Sacramento.
Drivers, passengers, and pedestrians may cause accidents negligently or recklessly. The individuals involved in an automobile accident must stop when they realize their actions have caused serious bodily injury to others. Drivers who do not attempt to mitigate the harm they cause during an accident may face legal sanctions. Hit-and-run accidents occur throughout California, and victims should know their legal rights to hold the driver liable.
Car Accident
$6,000,000.00
Our client was driving with his wife and son on a two-lane highway when a drunk driver crossed the double yellow lines, causing a head-on collision that claimed the life of a loving wife and mother.– ARASH KHORSANDI
The Facts: Hit-and-Run Accidents
Hit-and-run accidents can make injured victims feel offended and degraded. However, it is important for you to remember that you can get help if you are a victim of a hit-and-run accident. Thousands of accidents involving hit-and-runs happen each year in the United States. Negligent and reckless drivers often panic and leave the scene of the accident to avoid legal and financial consequences.
Drivers who choose to leave the scene of the collision do not want to accept responsibility for their actions. The following facts provide a brief outline of the degree to which hit-and-run accidents affect people in the United States:
- In 2016, approximately 330 individual hit-and-run accidents happened in California. The state ranked seventh in the United States for the total number of fatalities related to hit-and-run accidents. Florida and Texas each have more than 100 fatalities related to hit-and-run accidents every year.
- Pedestrians and cyclists are more likely to die during hit-and-run accidents than drivers and passengers in automobiles. Approximately 20 percent of all pedestrian fatalities occur due to hit-and-run accidents.
- Approximately 680,000 hit-and-run accidents occur each year in the United States. Florida, Louisiana, and New Mexico are the states with the highest number of hit-and-run accidents in 2016.
- 2,000 fatalities happened during hit-and-run accidents across the United States in 2016.
- Hit-and-run accidents occur every minute in the United States, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
California Automobile Accident Laws
When a driver abandons an accident scene after striking another vehicle or person, they create what is known as a hit-and-run accident. These drivers do not offer to help injured passengers, drivers, or property owners. Individuals who leave the scene of the accident do not offer reasonable assistance, such as providing insurance or contact information. Injured parties may require medical attention, and hit-and-run drivers do not contact an ambulance to help those who suffer injuries.
Some hit-and-run drivers do not speak to anyone at the accident scene and typically attempt to avoid being questioned by other parties. However, sometimes a party will leave an accident scene to seek emergency medical treatment for those involved in the accident.
California Code of Civil Procedure §335.1 states that any party who seeks financial compensation for personal injuries must file a complaint within two years of the date of the injury. It is vital that you understand how the statute of limitations can affect the claims you have that arise from a hit-and-run accident.
What Is the Time Limit for Reporting Hit-and-Run Accidents?
If you are involved in a hit-and-run accident in Sacramento, you should report it without delay. Law enforcement officers will analyze and scrutinize the accident scene to determine what evidence can be collected to establish that a party fled the accident scene.
Accident Reports and the California Highway Patrol
Individuals involved in traffic collisions resulting in more than $1,000 in property damage, fatalities, or serious bodily injuries must report the accident to law enforcement agencies or the California Highway Patrol within twenty-four hours. The rule is codified in California Vehicle Code 20008. Not reporting an automobile accident within twenty-four hours will make it less likely that a hit-and-run driver can be discovered. Legal consequences may also arise if an accident causes physical injuries and the event is not reported within twenty-four hours.
The Department of Motor Vehicles and Accident Reporting
Parties should inform insurance companies about the hit-and-run accident as soon as possible after the incident. Specific insurance companies may impose deadlines on individuals covered under an insurance policy. Other insurance companies may not require that an accident needs to be reported within a particular time period. However, you do not want to delay and risk having the insurance company deny your claim. Before you contact the insurance company, you should acquire as many details about the accident as possible.
Seeking Financial Compensation After a Hit-and-Run Accident
- Punitive damages – Punitive damages are intended to punish the defendant and deter them from committing the same conduct in the future. Punitive damages are awarded on top of compensatory damages.
- Property damages – Injured parties can recover the repair costs for their property damage. If a vehicle is totaled during a hit-and-run accident, the injured party can recover the fair market value of the automobile before the accident.
- Lost earnings – An injured party can recover lost earnings if they are unable to return to work while recovering from their injuries. Individuals who are disabled can recover lost future earnings.
- Pain and suffering – Individuals injured in automobile accidents can recover non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering. Under California law, no ceiling exists for non-economic damages, with the exception of medical malpractice claims.
- Medical costs – Medical bills can accumulate quickly after an individual suffers injuries during a hit-and-run accident. Recovering these costs can help ease the financial burden of paying for ongoing medical treatment, physical therapy, and rehabilitation.
What Causes Individuals to Flee Accident Scenes?
- Being held responsible for the accident
- Being arrested due to outstanding arrest warrants
- Being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Being deported due to not being a legal citizen
- Repercussions from not having automobile liability insurance
- Repercussions from not having a valid driver’s license
Sources of Financial Compensation
Individuals who suffer personal injuries during accidents can seek financial compensation from the other party’s insurance company or their own. The biggest challenge to obtaining monetary compensation in a hit-and-run accident case is finding and identifying the driver who fled the accident scene. Law enforcement officers and a legal professional may provide assistance in finding the at-fault driver.
California law provides that those who are victimized by hit-and-run drivers may pursue a civil compromise. However, hit-and-run accidents are not included under California Penal Code 1377. The power to use a civil settlement instead of other sanctions no longer applies to hit-and-run accidents. Yet injured victims can pursue monetary compensation through other channels.
Determining If an Automobile Insurance Policy Has Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage
Paying Deductibles for Hit-and-Run Accidents
The deductible is the price an insured pays to an insurance company prior to the company covering damages related to an automobile accident. The premium amount and the total claim value can affect the price of the deductible. An insured who pays less in monthly premiums may have a higher deductible. An insured may look to their own automobile insurance company after suffering injuries during an accident, but they may have to pay a deductible. Automobile insurance policies are not uniform, and the components of an automobile insurance policy can affect deductible amounts.
An insured who files an uninsured or underinsured motorist claim will often not have to meet a deductible payment. Uninsured motorists and underinsured motorist coverage provide payment if the responsible party did not flee the scene. An insurance company will not make an insured pay a deductible when the insured takes advantage of uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist coverage. The insured will receive compensation to the maximum policy limit on the insurance policy before the insured has to make any payment.
Motor Vehicle Accident
$3,500,000.00
Settlement in a motor vehicle accident; client suffered internal injuries.– JUDD ROSS ALLEN
Steps to Take Following a Hit-and-Run Accident in Sacramento
It is important to remain at the accident scene and not chase after the fleeing driver. Seek immediate medical treatment by dialing 911. Then, contact law enforcement officers to report the accident and alert them about the fleeing driver.
Although you may want to run down and find the fleeing driver, please refrain from doing so. You may put your life at risk if the fleeing person is armed and dangerous.
Insurance companies and insurance claims adjusters will attempt to delay and deny your insurance claims. If you have numerous witnesses who saw the accident, it can help you avoid having to deal with some of the delaying tactics used by insurance claims adjusters. Any witnesses who approach an injured victim after an accident can be a potential asset.
Take down all of their contact information and make sure you can contact the witness in the future. Having these pieces of information will improve the chances of obtaining a fair settlement amount.
Document the scene of the accident by taking photographs with your mobile phone. It is important to take photographs of internal and external property damage. Also, take note of the areas where the responsible driver struck your automobile. The fleeing driver’s automobile may be examined, and the paint from the involved vehicles may assist investigators and insurance claims adjusters.
Car accidents must be reported within twenty-four hours under California law. If a law enforcement officer states that you cannot file a report because you only suffered minor property damage, write down that officer’s identification number and name. Sometimes police officers may not drive to the accident scene because they believe the accident is insignificant and did not result in bodily injury or property damage. Go to the department yourself and file a police report to document the accident.
It is possible to file an electronic police report in some areas. Both the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and the City of Sacramento Police Department allow citizens to complete hit-and-run accident reports on the internet. Use a search engine to discover if you can report the accident to the police department online.
The individual who abandoned the accident scene may be an uninsured motorist. If so, they will likely blame you for the accident, so they do not have to pay you any financial compensation. Consult a proven Sacramento hit and run accident attorney to determine if you have a viable legal claim against the uninsured motorist. The uninsured motorist is liable for medical costs related to personal injuries any driver or passenger suffers due to the uninsured motorist’s negligence.
Not reporting the accident means that the insurance company may categorize the accident as a not-at-fault loss. This categorization may increase the price of your automobile insurance premiums.
Do not delay when seeking legal advice regarding your case. You want to make sure you file any legal claims you have within the statute of limitations period. If you do not file your legal claims within the statute of limitations period, you risk losing monetary compensation that can help you pay medical costs and automobile repair bills.
Retain our Sacramento hit-and-run accident lawyers to determine if you can file a civil lawsuit against a driver you injured during a hit-and-run accident. By speaking to a knowledgeable and skilled personal injury attorney from the Sacramento area, you can determine how to seek monetary compensation for your injuries. You can fight for your legal rights and attempt to make sure the fleeing driver is liable for your injuries.
A Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento Will Help You Seek the Financial Compensation You Deserve
Victims of hit-and-run accidents often feel disrespected and humiliated as they try to recover from their injuries. Retaining a Sacramento personal injury attorney is the best thing injured victims can do when they do not know where to turn as medical bills begin accumulating.
- File claims with insurance companies for property repair bills, medical costs, and miscellaneous expenses
- Find the driver who fled the accident scene and pursue legal claims against the driver
- Cooperate with law enforcement officers and witnesses to find the driver responsible for the hit-and-run accident
- Keep in touch with you to inform you of important updates regarding your personal injury case
- Pursue monetary compensation that will benefit you and your family members
- Create a dynamic strategy for every phase of your personal injury case
- Obtain evidence to establish liability and economic and non-economic damages
Contact Our Top-Notch Law Firm Today to Schedule a Free Consultation
Hit-and-run accidents can cause physical suffering, psychological trauma, and permanent disability. You may not know where to turn because you cannot identify the driver who caused your injuries. Contact Arash Law led by Arash Khorsandi, Esq., today to schedule a free consultation. We have decades of experience representing clients in hit-and-run accident cases. We have collected over $750 Million for clients in California.
Call Arash Law, managed by Arash Khorsandi, Esq., today at (888) 488-1391 to learn more about the legal services we offer. We can help you seek financial compensation for your injuries. Our Sacramento personal injury lawyers have represented clients all across California. We serve the following cities near Sacramento: Roseville, Orangevale, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Davis, Fair Oaks, Foothill Farms, Rancho Cordova, North Highlands, Carmichael, Rio Linda, La Riviera, Florin, Rosemont, and West Sacramento.
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