A hit-and-run accident can be heartbreaking for victims and their families, especially if it leads to a loved one’s death. From 2018 through 2022, there were an astonishingly high 103,191 hit-and-run accidents annually resulting in 250 fatalities on average in Florida. A majority of these go unsolved. How can you get just compensation for severe injuries and wrongful deaths if you can’t determine who is at fault?

Prompt action, thorough investigation and an experienced hit-and-run injury lawyer on your side may greatly increase your chance of discovering the driver’s identity and pursuing the compensation you deserve.

At Kanner & Pintaluga, our Boca Raton car crash lawyers will identify potential sources of video or photographic evidence, interview potential witnesses who could help identify the driver and explore your options for compensation. We’re committed to acting quickly and with purpose to increase the chance that our clients aren’t forced to pay out of pocket for someone else’s criminal actions.

What Should You Do After a Hit-and-Run? 

Call the Police

If you’re able to do so, file a police report immediately and provide as much detail as you can remember, including the vehicle’s make, model, color and license plate number if you could see it. Even if you didn’t see the other car, the police can still help. They’ll conduct a thorough investigation to identify the driver and provide you with documentation of their findings that you can use to strengthen your lawsuit as well as your insurance claim.

Get Medical Attention

Your very next step should be to see a healthcare professional and get a medical evaluation, even if you feel fine. The extent of some injuries, especially the types of internal injuries that are common after the blunt-force trauma of a hit-and-run accident, may not be obvious in the immediate aftermath of a hit-and-run accident. A properly equipped clinic and doctor can perform the necessary diagnostics to check for injuries and give you an accurate assessment and treatment plan.

Doctors can also give you invaluable documentation that verifies the existence and source of your injuries. Diagnostic tests, medical records, prescription invoices and medical bills can all strengthen your claim or lawsuit and make it more credible.

Talk With Your Insurance Provider

If you were in a vehicle that was struck by a hit-and-run driver, contact your car insurance company to report the hit-and-run. Because Florida legally requires drivers to have personal injury protection (PIP) insurance, you don’t have to prove fault to receive compensation. It’s also your own policy which, by default, pays for your medical treatment, which can be highly beneficial for victims of a hit-and-run accident where the at-fault party can’t be immediately identified.

That said, your PIP coverage may not be enough to cover your medical care, depending on the severity of injuries. PIP insurance only covers up to 60 percent of lost wages and 80 percent of medical bills, though only for physical injuries – emotional pain and suffering isn’t included.

Even then, if you have minimal coverage, once you reach your PIP limit of $10,000, your insurance will stop paying. If you’ve suffered a serious injury as the result of a hit-and-run that required expensive emergency care, left you with debilitating catastrophic injuries and has impacted your ability to make a living, $10,000 might not even begin to cover the damages.

There are potential ways to receive more compensation from your insurance provider. If the other driver can’t be located and you have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, you could possibly receive compensation from that as well as from PIP.

Things can be more complex for pedestrians who are the victims of hit-and-run accidents. It’s not uncommon for people who were struck while walking or riding a bike to have no PIP insurance. In those cases, you may have to rely on health insurance in the immediate aftermath of the accident.