Being the victim of a hit-and-run accident can leave you feeling angry, helpless, and frustrated. It is disheartening when the only financial support you have to cover your injuries and expenses related to the accident comes from your own limited PIP or UM insurance coverage. Luckily, there are legal avenues available to hold hit-and-run drivers accountable. Fleeing the scene of an accident is illegal in Florida, and opens the individual up to significant liability provided that you can identify them. That’s where a lawyer comes in. Hit-and-run accidents are among the most complex and confusing to handle because there are so many unknown factors at play. However, an experienced personal injury lawyer can assess the full facts and circumstances of your case to determine all possible options. If you would like to speak directly to one of the experienced Tampa personal injury attorneys at Durham Law Group, P.C., please feel free to reach out and schedule a consultation.
Liable Parties in Hit-and-Run Accidents
If the driver who hit you fled the scene of the accident, there are still a number of ways that they may be identified or tracked down. If you were able to provide a description of the car, the police will continue looking for them. Additionally, there may have been security camera footage, dashboard camera footage from other drivers, eyewitness accounts, or other means of obtaining information that can be used to identify the responsible party. Hit-and-run accident lawyers frequently work with investigators who are skilled at this type of investigation to help them locate the responsible party. Once the identity of the person who hit you is known, it becomes much easier to move forward on the legal end of things. However, it’s important to understand that even in cases where the fleeing driver cannot be identified, there may be other parties that contributed to the accident and can still be held accountable. For instance, if a traffic light failed or a signal was blocked or not visible which contributed to the accident, then the city may be held accountable. Likewise, if the accident took place in a parking lot where there had been many accidents before and the property owner failed to warn or remedy the situation or had negligent security or cameras, these may all be bases that can be used to establish additional liability. Additionally, it’s possible that even though you collided with the car that fled, your accident was initiated or caused by a third-party, such as another vehicle swerving into the other vehicle’s lane, causing them to swerve and hit you. In cases like this, the third-party driver can be held accountable.
Schedule a Consultation with Durham Law Group, P.C.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a hit-and-run accident, the experienced Tampa car accident attorneys at Durham Law Group, P.C. are ready to help. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and find out how we can fight to get you every cent that you deserve.
Resource:
leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.061.html
