Immediately after a hit and run accident in Atlanta, you should prioritize medical attention. Once you’ve been cleared by healthcare professionals, it’s important to contact law enforcement, report the crash, and preserve as much information as possible.
From there, don’t hesitate to contact Van Sant Law for support and representation from an Atlanta hit and run accident lawyer. As your legal counsel, we can work with police, speak with insurance companies, and pursue compensation on your behalf.
Medical Attention Is the Top Priority
A hit-and-run can create a strange sense of urgency. You might feel pressure to identify the driver or start dealing with insurance before thinking about your injuries. However, your health comes first.
Some accident injuries are obvious immediately, while others are only apparent later. Adrenaline can also make it difficult to recognize how seriously you were hurt at the scene. However, receiving medical care is an important way to create records for your personal injury claim.
Medical documentation can establish the following information:
- The nature of your injuries
- The treatment you received
- The connection between the collision and your physical condition
If you are transported to a hospital, follow-up care can also become part of the record. Keep documentation relating to appointments, treatment, prescriptions, medical bills, and other accident-related expenses.
You should not feel pressured to minimize an injury simply because you initially thought you were fine, and your Atlanta car accident lawyer at Van Sant Law can help you understand the value of your claim.
Calling Law Enforcement Creates an Official Record
Georgia law imposes duties on drivers involved in qualifying accidents. Under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-270, a driver involved in an accident resulting in injury, death, or damage to a vehicle must stop at the scene.
The driver is also expected to provide identifying information and render reasonable assistance to any injured people. They also must make reasonable efforts to contact the following:
- Emergency medical services
- Local law enforcement
Leaving without fulfilling these duties can constitute a criminal offense. When the accident is the proximate cause of death or serious injury, knowingly failing to stop and comply with the statute can result in a felony conviction under Georgia law.
For an injured victim, the police investigation serves another important purpose: documentation. A police report can preserve information about the collision, witnesses, vehicle descriptions, statements, roadway conditions, and other circumstances known at the time.
If the driver is later identified, our Atlanta personal injury lawyers at Van Sant Law can use the report since it will likely become relevant to the civil injury claim.
Video Footage Is Important in Hit-and-Run Claims
A driver who leaves the scene might assume nobody saw what happened. Atlanta’s streets, parking lots, businesses, apartment communities, and intersections can tell a different story. Depending on the location, cameras could have captured the collision or the involved vehicle.
Potential sources of video footage in your claim may include:
- Traffic cameras
- Business security cameras
- Apartment or condominium surveillance systems
- Parking lot cameras
- Dashcams from other vehicles
- Doorbell cameras near the accident scene
- Nearby security systems
Video does not have to show the impact itself to be useful. A recording could capture the other vehicle approaching the scene, establish its direction of travel, or show identifying characteristics after the collision.
The problem is that surveillance footage is not necessarily stored forever. Businesses can overwrite recordings, systems can automatically delete older files, and cameras can cover only certain portions of an area.
An attorney at Van Sant Law can investigate potential video sources and take appropriate steps to preserve relevant footage.
Insurance Coverage Still Matters When The Driver Is Gone
If the driver cannot be identified, your auto insurance can serve as an important source of compensation. Georgia law addresses uninsured motorist coverage in O.C.G.A. § 33-7-11. The statute governs coverage for damages arising from an uninsured motor vehicle.
It also includes provisions concerning accidents involving uninsured motorists. With that in mind, the exact coverage available depends on these details:
- The policy
- The circumstances of the accident
- The applicable law
This is where reviewing your insurance policy can become important. A hit-and-run driver who cannot be identified presents a different insurance situation from a driver whose identity and liability insurance are known.
You should not assume that the absence of the other driver means there is no claim. At Van Sant Law, an attorney can review the available insurance coverage, determine which policies could apply, and communicate with the insurance company on your behalf.
Contact Van Sant Law Immediately After a Hit and Run Accident in Atlanta
In the aftermath of a hit-and-run collision, you might feel as though the person who’s responsible disappeared forever and took your chance at compensation with them. However, this is not always the case, especially with Van Sant Law by your side.
Our attorneys know there might still be evidence to uncover, insurance coverage to pursue, witnesses to locate, and at-fault parties to identify. The fact that another driver left the scene of the incident doesn’t automatically mean you’re out of legal options.
As a law firm that has served Georgia residents since 2008, we have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for our clients. Make the Right Call by contacting us as soon as possible for a free consultation.
