Hit And Run Accident Lawyer St. Louis, MO. From the moment a motorist in St. Louis, MO first learns how to drive, one of the first things he or she is always told to do is that, if they ever get into an accident, the first thing you do is pull over and exchange information with the person you hit. However, in real life this doesn’t always happen. Being in a car accident can often activate a “fight or flight” response, and unfortunately for many people their instinct is to do the latter.
If you have recently been in an accident, injured as a result, and the person who caused the accident either gave you false personal information or fled the scene entirely, the skilled St. Louis, MO personal injury attorneys at Combs Waterkotte are here to help you get justice for your hit and run accident. Our firm combines expert legal acumen and aggressive strategy with the philosophy that every single one of our clients deserves to be treated with personal, private attention. Your odds of receiving compensation in a hit and run accident in St. Louis, MO case drastically increase when you hire an attorney, so put the team at Combs Waterkotte in your corner. Call us today at (314) 900-HELP. All our initial consultations are free, and we promise that we don’t get paid unless you get paid.
Common Causes Of Hit & Run Accidents in St. Louis and Missouri
Our attorneys have seen a large number of reasons why someone would leave the scene of an accident. Some of them include:
- Driving without a license: punishments for this include a fine of anywhere between $500 to $10,000, depending on their driving record and the extent of the accident
- Not being insured: the state of Missouri requires all drivers to have “25/50/25” insurance coverage, with the numbers referring to how much (in thousands of dollars) the company pays per person for bodily injury, per accident for bodily injury, and per accident for property damage. Not having insurance, or not having a “25/50/25” policy, results in a fine of up to $400 and potentially a suspension/revocation of driving priviliges.
- Driving while suspended/revoked: depending on how many previous violations one has on their driving record, in Missouri this can potentially be a class E felony, punishable by up to four years in prison and a $10,000 fine
- Driving while intoxicated
Depending on the severity of injuries in the accident, and the amount of property damage, according to Missouri RS 577.060 being found at fault in a hit-and run accident also carries criminal penalties of a class A misdemeanor, class E felony, or even a class D felony if the accident was a fatal one.
How An Experienced St. Louis, MO Personal Injury Attorney Can Help You After A Hit & Run Accident
Regardless of whether you were a pedestrian, cyclist, another motorist, or on a motorcycle, after you have been involved in an accident where the other party has fled from the scene it is in your best interest to call a top St. Louis, MO personal injury lawyer like at Combs Waterkotte. Having an attorney on your case as early as possible will only help you get the best possible results for your case.
Our firm handles both the criminal and the civil aspects of your St. Louis, MO hit and run case. We work with police to help gather witness testimony, obtain evidence, and track down who was truly responsible for your injuries. If that person can be found, we will help you build a winning case against them so that you can recover what you deserve for your pain and suffering, while obtaining justice for what they did to you.
However, if (as is more likely than not) we cannot find the person who caused your accident, our St. Louis, MO personal injury lawyers can still help you get compensation for your injuries. Missouri state law requires all auto insurance policy holders to have “uninsured motorist” coverage. This allows them to file a “first-party” claim against their own insurance if they were ever in an accident with a driver who did not have insurance–or one that could not be found. These work the same way as if you were filing an insurance claim against another driver, however just like those claims insurance companies can still deny your claim or limit the amount of money you could receive. As experienced personal injury lawyers, Combs Waterkotte is ready to handle these claims and get you the money you deserve.
Whatever caused your St. Louis, MO hit and run accident, and regardless of how you want to proceed, the St. Louis, MO personal injury lawyers at Combs Waterkotte are here to work with you and get you the results you deserve. Contact us today–our initial consultations are always free, and we guarantee that you will always speak with a lawyer about your case, never an assistant or a paralegal.
