When you suffer injuries in a hit and run, you may have a lot of questions about what comes next or how you can seek compensation for your damages. Fortunately, even if you cannot identify the driver that caused your accident, you may still have the ability to pursue compensation. An auto accident attorney can make sure you understand your rights and can utilize the tools available to you to help you manage financial concerns in the aftermath of hit and run car accidents in Chicago.
Sometimes, after hit and run accidents, Chicago police can identify the driver that caused the accident. They may use video footage, photos from the accident, and witness testimony to piece together likely liability for the incident. In that case, the injured individual can seek compensation through that driver’s insurance policy.
When police cannot identify the liable driver after a hit and run, the injured driver may still have the right to pursue compensation through their own insurance policies. Many drivers carry policies that will provide protection when they have an accident with someone who does not carry insurance, or who does not carry adequate insurance. They can often use these policies for coverage even if the accident did not occur while driving a covered vehicle: for example, if the accident occurred while riding a bike or as a pedestrian.
Many insurance providers offer a policy that will provide protection any time their covered driver suffers damages in an accident with a driver that does not carry insurance at all, or who does not carry adequate insurance. Uninsured motorist coverage, which covers accidents with drivers who do not have insurance at all, can be used to cover many of the damages from a hit and run. Underinsured motorist coverage can prove useful after a hit and run accident with a driver who does not carry adequate coverage, but who may have some coverage.
Collision policies generally provide coverage when the covered driver causes an accident. However, they can also offer coverage when the driver ends up involved in an accident with a driver who does not carry insurance, including hit and run car accidents in Chicago. Those collision policies can make a huge difference in the driver’s ability to get much-needed compensation for those damages.
Some Chicago drivers may also opt in to personal injury protection policies, which cover the cost of medical treatment after injuries from an auto accident, as well as missing wages from the accident. That policy kicks in any time injuries occur in a car accident, including hit and run accidents, where the insurance company may not identify the driver that caused the accident.
Hit and run car accidents in Chicago can cause devastating injury and make it difficult for drivers to get compensation for their losses. Working with an attorney can make it easier to secure the full compensation deserved, even when you need to deal with your own insurance company after the accident. Contact McCready Law Injury Attorneys today to discuss the damages you suffered in your hit and run and how you can pursue the compensation you deserve.