N.C. Personal Injury Attorney
Hit-and-Run Accidents
Hit-and-run accidents are more common than you may suspect. At least one driver flees the scene of a motor vehicle accident in approximately 1 out of every 10 crashes reported to police. Hit-and-run accidents cause many serious injuries and fatalities. Approximately 1,500 people die each year in hit-and-run accidents in the U.S. More than half of those fatally injured in hit-and-run accidents are pedestrians walking, running or crossing a road. In North Carolina, 36 people died in hit-and-run accidents in 2009, the most recent year of complete data.
If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a hit-and-run accident, you should talk to an experienced western North Carolina personal injury lawyer skilled at helping victims of hit-and-run drivers. We may be able to obtain compensation to cover your medical bills, lost income and pain and suffering. You have a legal right to seek compensation if you’ve been seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident caused by another driver. You may seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages and loss of future earnings. You owe it to yourself and your family to understand your legal rights so you can make an informed decision with your family’s future in mind.
Call the Asheville, NC-based Elmore Law Firm for a free consultation about your hit-and-run accident injuries. You may contact an Asheville hit-and-run accident attorney at (828) 253-1492 or toll-free at (888) 775-7876 or via email at info@theelmorelawfirm.com to schedule a no-cost evaluation of your accident.
Why You Need a Lawyer after a Hit-and-Run Accident
In North Carolina, a driver involved in a crash that causes injury, death or property damage has a legal duty to stop immediately and stay at the accident scene until a police officer arrives. The driver is required to provide their name, address, driver’s license information and insurance information to the occupants of the other vehicles and the police. However, some motorists who cause crashes panic and flee the scene, thus breaking the law and making bad matters worse. Rather than simply causing an accident, a driver who leaves the scene has caused a hit-and-run accident.
Hit-and-run drivers may hit another car, a pedestrian, a jogger, a bicyclist or in rural areas, riders on horseback. Hit and run accidents are more common during certain times of the week. Nearly 60 % of hit-and-run accidents occur on weekends—on Fridays, Saturday and Sundays, according to an analysis by the American Automotive Association Foundation for Traffic Safety. Nearly half of fatal hit-and-run accidents occur at night —between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m.
A driver who leaves the scene of an accident may be charged with a misdemeanor or felony depending on the amount and type of damage. Drivers convicted of hit-and-run may lose their North Carolina driver’s license for two years. Victims of hit-and-run drivers also have a legal right to hold the drivers accountable for damages and injuries they caused through their misconduct by filing a civil lawsuit. If you have been the victim of a hit-and-run driver, it’s unlikely the driver having sought to escape responsibility will willingly pay you for your injuries and damages. You need a no-nonsense hit-and-run accident lawyer to stand up for your legal rights.
Contact our Asheville Hit-and-Run Accident Victim Attorneys
If you have been injured in a hit-and-run accident in North Carolina or an adjacent state, contact an experienced Asheville traffic accident attorney for help. After a hit-and-run accident, you may be able to seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages and loss of future earnings. If you have lost a loved one in a hit-and-run accident, we recognize that no amount of money will compensate for the loss of your loved one. However, a wrongful death lawsuit and settlement may provide financial stability and peace of mind. In addition, it’s important to hold a hit-and-run driver accountable so that they do not get behind the wheel again and take the lives of others. After any hit-and-run accident, it’s critical that you understand your legal options to make an informed decision.
Call the Asheville, NC-based Elmore Law Firm for a free consultation about your hit-and-run accident. Reach a Western North Carolina hit-and-run accident lawyer at (828) 253-1492 or toll-free at (888) 775-7876 or via email at info@theelmorelawfirm.com to schedule a no-cost evaluation of your accident.
We represent hit-and-run accident victims on a contingency fee basis. That means we only get paid if we collect money for you. Call us today.
