Regardless of your unique circumstances, you should seek medical attention and hire an attorney after a hit-and-run accident. Your health can be at risk, which is why you should see a doctor as soon as possible. Even if you don’t notice any obvious injury symptoms, you can have injuries that have yet to rear their head.

While you focus on your health, a car accident attorney will monitor the investigation of your accident and seek a fair financial recovery. Hit-and-run accident cases can be unusually complicated, so letting a lawyer lead your case may be wise.

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Pursue Medical Attention

Accident victims who do not receive medical care may:

• Put themselves at risk because of undetected injuries
• Fail to get treatment and advice that can promote more rapid healing
• Fail to document accident-related injuries (and harm their claim or lawsuit as a consequence)

You shouldn’t try to “tough it out” or avoid medical costs after an accident. Your health is too important to do anything but see a doctor as soon as possible. Your lawyer will worry about recovering compensation for the cost of treatment.

Injuries like whiplash are known to produce symptoms days after the accident (or perhaps even more than a week after the collision). You deserve answers about any injuries you may have suffered, so see a doctor as soon as possible.

Document Your Treatment

You will need documentation of your injuries and medical treatment for an insurance claim or lawsuit. While you can hire a lawyer to build your case, you should keep any documentation you receive during the medical process.

Such documentation may include the following:

• X-rays
• CT scans
• MRIs
• Doctors’ written diagnoses of your injuries
• Medical bills
• Any other documentation related to your injuries or medical care

You never know what turns your case will take, but having ample documentation of your injuries and costs is always helpful.

Hire a Hit and Run Accident Lawyer to Handle Your Case

Hiring a lawyer is the right decision for many hit-and-run accident victims. Those who feel limited by injuries or simply inexperienced with claims and lawsuits may benefit from hiring a capable lawyer.

What You Must Know About Hit and Run Accident Cases

As you decide how to move forward (including with or without a lawyer), understand the uniquely challenging nature of hit-and-run accident cases. In addition to the usual demands of any insurance claim or lawsuit, hit-and-run accident cases may require:

• Working with law enforcement to monitor the investigation of your accident: Whether or not law enforcement officials find the fleeing motorist can be relevant to your case. Your attorney will remain in contact with law enforcement officials to monitor the investigation and, hopefully, identify the fleeing motorist.
• Conducting one’s own investigation of the fleeing motorist: If your attorney believes law enforcement is not doing enough to find the fleeing motorist, your lawyer may follow the evidence and seek the motorist’s identity on their own. Your attorney may provide information they discover to law enforcement officials.
• Determining why the motorist fled your accident scene: The reason why the motorist left your accident scene can be important to your case. For example, if the motorist fled because they lacked valid insurance, you would be unable to seek compensation from their insurance provider.
• Evaluating insurance options: Whether or not your attorney identifies the individual who fled your accident, your lawyer will evaluate all options for filing insurance claims. Missouri is an at-fault state when it comes to auto insurance. This means the party at fault for an accident usually covers victims’ costs, but filing a claim with your insurer may be an option.
• Completing the entirety of the claim or lawsuit: Of course, your attorney will also have to execute their case plan. Whether this means securing an insurance settlement or completing a lawsuit, your lawyer will lead this process from start to finish.

It is clear why many victims of hit-and-run accidents choose to let a lawyer handle these responsibilities. A lawyer’s assistance can be priceless, especially when someone is suffering the physical and psychological effects of an accident.

What Do I Get When I Hire a Hit and Run Accident Lawyer?

A lawyer provides many benefits, and when you have a hit-and-run accident attorney, you:

• Have protection: First and foremost, your attorney will protect your rights and case. Your lawyer will ensure you can focus on recovery without facing stress or trauma from your case.
• Have advice: You will have to make decisions related to your case, such as whether to accept a settlement offer. Your lawyer will provide frank, transparent advice that you can choose to accept or not.
• Have a capable counselor fighting for your financial recovery: You can rest easier knowing that a lawyer is actively pursuing the compensation you deserve.
• Have financial support: Your hit-and-run accident lawyer will cover all expenses related to your case. Whether you reach an insurance settlement or your case goes to court, your law firm will build the strongest case and pay its cost.

Your lawyer’s help and financial support may bring some stability to a difficult time in your life. Your legal team will work hard to ensure your long-term financial recovery by securing a settlement or judgment.

How Your Lawyer Will Pursue a Fair Settlement for Your Accident

When you hire a hit-and-run accident attorney, you get a partner who will handle your case’s demands. A hit-and-run accident lawyer’s responsibilities will include:

Documenting the Accident

Your chosen law firm will gather facts about your accident and seek relevant evidence, which may include:

• Testimony from eyewitnesses
• Video of the collision (which may also be useful in identifying the fleeing motorist)
• The police report
• Photographs of vehicle damage
• An expert’s reconstruction of the accident

Such documentation will be important for any insurance claim(s) or lawsuit.

Documenting Your Damages

Auto accident cases can cost six or seven figures in damages, and it is important to prove every damage you’ve suffered because of your collision. Your lawyer may document your damages using:

• Your account of the pain and suffering your accident has caused you
• Expert testimony about your pain and suffering
• Medical records, including images of injuries and doctors’ notes
• Medical bills
• Proof of your lost income
• Invoices for accident-related vehicle repairs

Your lawyer will present this documentation when seeking compensation from insurers or any parties you choose to sue.

Creating a Plan for Seeking Your Financial Recovery

Your lawyer will need to craft a plan based on the following:

• Whether or not authorities (or your lawyer) identify the fleeing motorist
• The insurance-specific options you have for seeking compensation
• The financial cost of your accident-related damages

If law enforcement identifies the at-fault motorist, you may have the option of filing a claim with their insurer or suing them. You and your lawyer will discuss your options for seeking the money you deserve.

Calculating Your Case Value and Seeking a Settlement

Depending on the case strategy, your lawyer may seek a settlement from insurance companies or the motorist who caused your accident. In either case, your lawyer will know exactly how much money you deserve. Your lawyer will demand nothing less from those who owe you compensation.

Taking Your Case to Trial, Circumstances Permitting

If your case becomes a lawsuit, your lawyer will:

• Draft and file the lawsuit for you
• Continue negotiating a settlement even after filing the lawsuit
• If the case proceeds to trial, completing the pre-trial process (including discovery)
• Leading any necessary deposition
• Arguing your case in court

Your attorney can arrange expert testimony, prepare witnesses, and organize evidence in a manner that makes sense for a trial case.

Your Lawyer Will Value All of Your Accident-Related Damages

Your attorney will work with experts to identify and value damages caused by a hit-and-run motorist, which may include:

Pain and Suffering

Hit-and-run accident victims suffer damages that don’t have an obvious financial cost, and pain and suffering may be the most common. Pain and suffering can include:

• Pain (including chronic pain)
• Emotional anguish
• Psychological distress
• Lost quality of life
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Loss of physical abilities
• Cognitive impairment
• Scarring and disfigurement

While you may have an inkling that you are suffering, a mental health professional can provide clear diagnoses for your conditions. Your lawyer will hire such professionals at no additional cost to you.

Mental Health Treatment

If you need any mental health services to address the symptoms of your accident, your attorney will include the cost of treatment in your case.

Property Costs

Property-related expenses from your hit-and-run accident may include the following:

• Vehicle repairs (which can include replacing parts, fixing the body, or replacing a totaled vehicle)
• Temporary transportation expenses
• Replacement of damaged clothing, accessories, electronics, and other items damaged during the collision

Your lawyer will also consider any medical equipment or other accident-related property costs you face.

Lost Income

Lost income may be among multiple professional damages you suffer because of your accident. Other professional damages may include:

• Diminished earning power (which means earning less than you did before suffering injuries)
• Missed opportunities to earn performance bonuses
• Inability to earn promotions
• Lost benefits

You can be certain that a hit-and-run accident lawyer will calculate (and seek compensation for) all of your professional damages.

Medical Costs

You should never have to pay for medical expenses caused by a negligent motorist. Your attorney will calculate and include your accident-related medical expenses in your insurance claim or lawsuit.

If the Driver Leaves the Scene, How Can I Seek Compensation?

When two motorists remain at the scene after an accident, they exchange information and go about their days. When motorists leave the scene before exchanging information, they complicate the situation significantly.

Your lawyer will discuss the options for seeking compensation after your accident, which may include:

• Filing an insurance claim with your insurer
• Filing an insurance claim with the at-fault motorist’s insurer
• Suing those with legal liability for your accident

Your lawyer will evaluate your insurance policy, consider whether the fleeing motorist is identified, and lay out your options.

What to Look for in a Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyer

If you want to let an experienced lawyer help with your case, search for a law firm that:

• Performs well during your consultation: When you develop a pool of potential law firms to hire, call each and complete a free consultation. The answers and pitches you receive during these consultations should be part of your decision of which law firm to hire.
• Has a stellar resume: A law firm’s case results are its resume. Look at the number and size of the financial recoveries a law firm has secured for auto accident victims.
• Has earned its clients’ positive reviews: If law firms’ former clients praise the firm, you may put stock in these positive reviews. If clients have negative things to say about the firm, you should also factor that into your choice of lawyer.
• Will take your case to trial: If you see that a law firm’s case results include many jury verdicts, you know the firm is willing to go to trial on clients’ behalf.

A good lawyer can be exactly what you need after a hit-and-run accident. Don’t wait to find your legal counselor today.

Hire Your Hit and Run Accident Lawyer Today

Your case comes with a strict filing deadline. Further evidence fades with time, and your case can be stronger the sooner you start the process. Put your case in a position for success by finding a hit-and-run accident lawyer as soon as possible.

Remember that even your own insurer can be difficult and might try to minimize your compensation. You need an advocate for fair financial recovery so you can move forward in the best physical and financial position. A Cape Girardeau personal injury lawyer is waiting to help.