Auto, truck and motorcycle accidents damage people's lives. When accidents happen, we all hope and expect that the at fault drivers will do the right thing— stay at the scene of the crash, render aid to anyone they hurt, call 911 for the people who are injured and whose vehicles are damaged or totaled, and give the injured people and the police their vehicle insurance information and their contact information, so their insurance company can pay for the damages caused by the at fault driver. It's pretty simple, we all hope and expect that the at fault drivers will take responsibility and do the right thing. Unfortunately, sometimes the at-fault drivers won't do the right thing, some even hit & run and leave the accident scene, leaving the injuries and damages behind in hopes they won't have to pay for the damages they caused.
The experienced accident attorneys at The Cummins Firm won't let hit & run drivers run away from their responsibility. We know what steps to take to identify and locate the at fault driver and present your damages claim to the insurance company. We work with private investigators and law-enforcement to find hit & run drivers, and to locate witnesses or video footage of the crash, and we retain accident reconstruction experts to support our clients' claims. Once we find a hit & run driver, our attorneys aggressively pursue claims to help our clients obtain the maximum compensation available, including punitive damages against the irresponsible, negligent driver. We also know how to successfully pursue claims for compensation on the rare occasion when the at fault driver cannot be found.
Uninsured Motorist Coverage Can Help in a Hit & Run Case
On the occasions where an at fault driver cannot be found after an exhaustive investigation, there still may be a way to get compensation for your medical bills, lost income from work missed after an accident, and damages to your vehicle. If you have uninsured motorist coverage, known as UM, on your own vehicle's liability insurance policy, then that UM coverage can provide you with compensation for your damages. Georgia drivers are required by law to obtain liability insurance for their vehicles. At the time of purchasing liability insurance, the insurance companies generally offer additional Insurance known as UM coverage. The premiums for UM coverage are fairly affordable, and many Georgia drivers purchase UM coverage, along with liability coverage, and UM can help you later if you have an accident with a hit & run driver. UM coverage can pay you compensation for your injuries, medical bills, lost wages, vehicle damage, and other losses caused by a hit & run driver — who basically takes the status of an uninsured driver, when the hit & run driver and their vehicle insurance cannot be located or contacted for compensation for your claims. In this situation your UM coverage is very valuable, as it can pay you compensation for your damages just like it was the insurance company for the at fault driver who left the scene. And your own insurance company expects that sometimes they will be paying you compensation under a UM claim, because you have paid them premiums for the UM coverage, and they are there to help you with your damages when a hit & run driver and their insurance cannot be located. Your UM coverage is also there to help you if the other driver & their insurance can be located, but their insurance limits are not enough to fully compensate you for your injuries and damages.
Underinsured Drivers
Many times at fault drivers do the right thing and do not hit & run after an accident, they remain at the scene, and give their contact information and insurance information to the injured people and to the police, so their insurance company can pay compensation for the damages caused in an accident. However, sometimes the at-fault driver's liability insurance limit is only $25,000, which is the minimum amount required by George law, and sometimes the 25K coverage is not enough to pay for people's medical bills, rehabilitation, lost wages and other damages. In those instances, if you have UM coverage on your own vehicle policy, once again the UM coverage can provide you with compensation above and beyond the other driver's 25,000 liability limit. In this situation the at fault driver is deemed to be “under insured”, and your own UM coverage can help you by paying compensation above and beyond the at fault driver's coverage, where your own UM coverage is higher than the liability driver's coverage. For instance, if the at-fault driver only has 25,000 liability limits, and you have 100,000 UM limits on your own vehicle policy, your UM coverage can be added on to the claim, and pay you up to $75,000 as the difference between the other driver's policy and your UM policy. This can be a very good thing, sometimes UM coverage can be a lifesaver to help pay for your damages. However, sometimes your own insurance company does not want to pay for your damage claims, and they fight your UM claim by disputing the extent of your injuries or trying to find a way to argue that your UM coverage does not apply. The experienced attorneys at The Cummins Firm can represent you in negotiations with your UM insurance company, and require them to pay you fair compensation for your damages, either via settlement or by going to court as necessary to get you the compensation you deserve.
Call The Cummins Firm for help after a Hit & Run accident, or for help with UM claims.
If you have been injured in a hit & run accident, or if the other driver's liability insurance is not enough to fully compensate you for your damage claims, trust the experienced attorneys who are dedicated to helping you recover the maximum amount available for your injuries. Call The Cummins Firm at 678-590-5590 for a free consultation. We stand ready to help you today. Call us and we'll prove it.