If you have any questions about litigating a claim for damages resulting from any type of vehicle accident, contact Powell Law. Our decades of experience make it the clear and obvious choice to meet all your legal needs, especially for representation in personal injury matters involving any type of vehicle accident in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area.
Any driver who causes a motor vehicle accident involving death or personal injury is legally obligated by Pennsylvania law to stop and stay at the crash site until he or she has given the injured party their contact and insurance information, called for medical assistance, and notified law enforcement authorities. But this isn’t always the case.
Hit-and-run accidents occur every day in Pennsylvania. One in ten reported accidents involves a hit and run driver. There are two types of hit and run accidents. In the first, a collision occurs and one of the drivers involved flees the scene of the accident. In the second, part of a car or truck (tire tread) may become separated from a vehicle and cause injury. The driver is unaware that an injury has occurred and does not stop at the accident scene.
The greatest concern in such accidents is the inability to hold the at-fault driver accountable for his actions. Who pays for the harm caused and the losses of the victims? Because Pennsylvania is a no-fault state, injured accident victims typically receive compensation for injuries and some out-of-pocket expenses as if the at-fault driver never left the scene of the accident.
Pennsylvania adheres to a no-fault auto insurance system whereby an injured party’s own insurance carrier provides coverage for medical expenses and lost income regardless of who was at fault for the accident. Injured accident victims in Pennsylvania may not hold the other driver liable for a car accident unless the harm caused meets a “serious injury” threshold.
While most minor accidents qualify for payment under the no-fault system, hit and run victims that suffer serious injuries will be unable to sue the liable party, in this case, a hit and run driver that can’t be identified and located. Victims will have to rely on their auto insurance policy’s uninsured motorist coverage, which may be insufficient to cover all of their losses.
If you have been involved in a hit and run accident and are physically able, write down the license plate number, make, model, and color of the vehicle. Try to take a photo of the vehicle and driver with a mobile phone. Immediately call local law enforcement authorities and report the accident and provide the hit and run driver’s vehicle description. Even if you can’t record any information about the vehicle, immediately call the police and file a police report. This will help prove any future claim for injuries and vehicle damage.
The attorneys and staff of Powell Law carry on the work of a law firm that spans generations and has represented thousands of Pennsylvanians over a period of 113 years. Contact Powell Law at (570) 961-0777 or visit us online. The consultation is free and you don’t pay any fees unless we win your case!
