The moments after a hit and run accident can be chaotic. Depending on the severity of your injuries, you may not be fully aware that the negligent driver fled the scene. A hit and run car accident lawyer in Everett can guide you through the immediate steps, the claims process, and how to recover damages.
At Murphy Trial Law, our car accident lawyer in Everett will focus on protecting your rights and advocating for your best interests. We will investigate your case as well as coordinate with law enforcement. With nearly two decades of combined experience, we will use every resource available to recover the compensation you deserve.
What to Do After a Hit and Run Accident in Everett
To protect the integrity of your claim, it is critical to take the following steps after a hit and run accident in Everett. In the chaos and confusion, please be sure to:
- Contact law enforcement and emergency services: First, call emergency personnel as soon as possible. The police will do everything they can to find the hit and run driver. Make sure to tell them everything you remember about the vehicle and driver, including the make, model, color, license plate number, direction of travel, and any distinguishing characteristics.
- Get medical attention: Some crash injuries may not be obvious straightaway. Prompt medical care helps prevent complications from delayed injuries. In addition, medical records from the date of the accident can connect your injuries to the crash.
- If able, take pictures: Take pictures of the damage to your car, the road conditions, any debris in the street, traffic signs, skid marks, and visible injuries.
- Identify witnesses: Ask anyone who saw the crash for their contact information and provide those details to law enforcement and your attorney.
- Look for surveillance footage: Businesses, residences, Ring cams, witness dash cams, intersections, and parking lots may have cameras that captured the hit and run crash and the fleeing vehicle.
Knowing what to do if you’re in a hit and run accident in Everett can give you and your Everett personal injury lawyer critical evidence when investigating the crash. Just because you don’t have a license plate number doesn’t mean that the driver cannot be found. Witness statements, dash cams, surveillance footage, vehicle debris, and a thorough investigation can help establish what happened and hold the driver accountable.
For a free legal consultation with a hit and run accident lawyer serving Everett, call (425) 835-2614
How a Hit and Run Car Accident Attorney in Everett Can Help You Recover Compensation
Your potential recovery depends on the unique circumstances of your crash, whether the driver is identified, the insurance policies involved, and the losses you sustained. If investigators locate the driver, you may be able to pursue a liability claim against the negligent driver.
Pursuing the At-Fault Driver
In a perfect world, the hit and run driver will be found, significantly changing your legal options. If police find the person who caused the crash, your Everett hit and run car accident lawyer can pursue a claim against them.
Washington law (RCW 46.52.020) requires a driver involved in an injury crash to stop, remain at the scene, and provide identifying and insurance information. Fleeing the scene could have criminal implications in addition to financial liability for the accident.
Using Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist Coverage
If the driver remains unidentified or uninsured, your own uninsured motorist coverage may need to cover your losses. Washington law specifically addresses auto insurance coverage for people legally entitled to recover damages from hit-and-run motorists.
Your attorney can review your policy to determine whether this coverage applies and identify any requirements you must satisfy to pursue a claim. This can be particularly important when the driver disappears, and you are left responsible for medical bills and lost income.
Negotiating With Insurance Companies
Insurance companies often challenge the value or even the validity of your claim. They may question the circumstances of the crash, how severe your injuries really are, if certain treatments were truly necessary, or whether certain losses are connected to the accident.
Having a hit and run lawyer in Everett handle these communications can help you avoid making statements that could later be used against your claim. At Murphy Trial Law, we can present documentation supporting your losses and negotiate for a fair settlement on your behalf.
Everett Hit and Run Accident Lawyer Near Me (425) 835-2614
What Compensation Can You Recover After a Hit and Run?
The damages available in your case depend on several factors, like the severity of your injuries and the available insurance coverage. Our hit and run accident attorney in Everett can evaluate your case and pursue the best potential outcome.
Some damages you may qualify to recover include:
- Medical expenses: These can include emergency care, hospital stay, medication, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and other accident-related medical costs.
- Future medical costs: If your injuries require continuing treatment, like some TBIs or spinal damage, you may have future medical costs that should be considered when evaluating your claim.
- Lost wages: You may be entitled to compensation for lost wages after a car accident if your injuries prevented you from working.
- Loss of future income: Catastrophic injuries can affect your ability to perform your job or earn the income you could have earned without the accident.
- Pain and suffering: These damages usually account for the physical pain and limitations caused by your injuries.
- Emotional distress: A serious collision, particularly one involving a driver who knowingly fled the scene, can cause significant mental anguish, including PTSD and sleep disturbances.
- Loss of enjoyment of life: If your injuries prevent you from participating in activities and hobbies that you enjoyed before the crash, you may be able to recover loss of enjoyment of life damages.
Determining the value of these losses requires more than adding up your medical bills. Murphy Trial Law can go over your medical records, employment information, property damage, and more to understand the full impact of the collision.
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Get Help From a Hit and Run Lawyer in Everett
It is important to know that you do not have to handle your hit and run car accident alone. The attorneys of Murphy Trial Law are prepared to investigate your accident and pursue any available sources of recovery.
We have been helping accident victims recover the compensation they deserve so they can move on with their lives for decades. Let our Everett hit and run car accident attorney protect your rights today. Schedule a free case evaluation and discuss the details of your case with our compassionate team today.
Call or text (425) 835-2614 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form