If you were injured by a driver who fled the scene, our hit and run accident lawyers in Alpharetta at Van Sant Law can take on the work of tracking down the driver and dealing with insurance, fighting to help you recover and move forward.
Our legal team has represented the people of Georgia since 2008 and has experience defending insurers and major companies. Having worked for the other side, David M. Van Sant understands how insurers assess and challenge claims, giving our team a unique perspective in handling your case and helping us fight for the best possible recovery.
If you have questions or concerns about your claim, contact our Alpharetta car accident lawyers for a free consultation. We can guide you through the legal process and help you make informed decisions with your interests in mind.
Why Hire Our Alpharetta Hit and Run Accident Lawyers
Hit-and-run accident claims tend to involve unique challenges that are not present in other car crash cases, such as insurance disputes, lack of evidence, and, of course, the missing driver. Your own insurer might even question what happened and dispute coverage for your losses.
Our Alpharetta personal injury lawyers can handle those issues for you, seeking to give your claim the best possible chance of recovery. Our services can include:
- Evidence preservation: Our team can seek the evidence needed to prove what happened, including witness accounts, video footage, and other relevant evidence that can help identify the fleeing party.
- Determining insurance coverage: With our founder’s insurance experience, we know what it takes to uncover applicable insurance policies and investigate any other responsible parties who could also share responsibility for your accident and injuries.
- Responding to insurance disputes: If insurance disputes coverage for your claim, questions fault, or rejects the connection between the crash and your injuries, we will carefully examine their reasoning and gather the necessary evidence to fight back.
- Assessing the full value of your losses: To ensure you are awarded a fair settlement, we take the time to evaluate and document all of your losses, which includes determining your potential future treatment needs if your injuries affect you long-term.
- Protecting your ability to pursue the case: Our legal team handles all the details of your claim, such as applicable notice requirements, filing deadlines, and court procedures, including litigation when necessary. We take these steps to make sure there aren’t any setbacks that prevent you from reaching a settlement.
To better understand how we would handle your claim, we ask that you reach out to schedule a free case evaluation.
What Georgia Law Requires in a Hit-and-Run Case
To address the law and make sure your case can proceed, our lawyers need to determine whether the fleeing driver broke the law and if they are the one responsible for your injuries.
If a driver is involved in a collision that causes injuries, they are required to stop and provide information identifying who they are and how they can be contacted. They are also required to provide reasonable assistance before leaving. If they fail to do this, they could face criminal charges. However, that violation doesn’t necessarily prove fault for the accident.
To help you pursue full and fair compensation, our Alpharetta hit-and-run crash attorneys gather evidence that establishes how the driver caused or contributed to the crash and that your injuries were a result of their negligence.
This includes obtaining a police report in Alpharetta and reviewing it for relevant collision information.
How Insurance Coverage Works in Hit-and-Run Cases Without the At-Fault Driver
If the police do not find the driver who left, you could still potentially file a claim and recover compensation through uninsured motorist coverage (UM).
Georgia Code 33-7-11 treats a vehicle with an unknown owner or operator as uninsured for this purpose. That said, the available coverage will depend on the applicable policy and statutory requirements.
Uninsured Motorist Coverage
We will examine your uninsured motorist coverage and any other applicable policies, including potential coverage for the vehicle you occupied or coverage through a family member who lives with you. Georgia allows drivers to decline UM coverage, so we always check the policy documents to confirm whether UM coverage is available to you.
Accidents Without Physical Contact
If the unidentified driver caused you to drive off the road and crash without actually making contact, you could still qualify for UM benefits. However, Georgia requires that an eyewitness other than you be available to corroborate your story and how the crash happened.
Our team can help locate any potential witnesses in this case and determine whether or not their testimony meets the requirements.
Lawsuits Against an Unknown Driver
Georgia law allows us to name the unidentified driver as “John Doe” and then formally serve the lawsuit on the UM insurer. This only applies if a lawsuit is needed. If it is, our hit-and-run accident attorneys in Alpharetta can handle the process and explain what it means for you.
No matter the situation, reporting your car accident in Alpharetta can help us establish a clearer record of what happened. Your lawyer can review the report and your insurance policy to determine the best way to proceed.
Compensation We Can Help You Pursue
The compensation available to you will depend on your individual circumstances. To determine how much your car accident case is worth, our legal team will take a close look at your medical bills, any income you have lost while injured, how your pain and injuries are limiting your daily life, and whether you might require long-term assistance or treatment.
While the exact damages can vary, the list below represents some of the most common losses you could recover in your hit-and-run settlement:
- Medical expenses related to the crash and injuries.
- Future care needs, including rehabilitation and assistance needs.
- Lost income from missed work.
- Reduced earning capacity if injuries affect your ability to do your job or other types of work.
- Physical or emotional pain and distress caused by your injuries.
- Loss of enjoyment in activities.
- Vehicle repair costs.
Before you accept an offer from the insurance company, you should know what your settlement could cover and what expenses you could face in the future. Van Sant Law wants to help you make a more informed decision so that the compensation you receive covers your needs.
Acting Quickly Matters for Your Case
After a hit-and-run crash, the state places strict deadlines, called statutes of limitations, on how long you have to file a lawsuit. For most personal injury claims in the state, you have two years to file. However, depending on your specific situation, that deadline may be shorter or longer. We’ll seek to help you understand and meet any applicable deadlines when you work with us.
Filing timelines aren’t the only reason to get started on your claim right away, however. Your request for compensation will also need to include strong evidentiary support to show that the other party was negligent. Some of the most useful evidence, such as witness memories and security footage, can disappear quickly.
When you reach out to our Alpharetta hit and run accident lawyers as early as possible, we can begin working on your case right away, preserving evidence and building a robust claim for your compensation. Our goal is to put you in the strongest position to argue for the support you need to move forward with your life.
Make the Right Call: Contact an Alpharetta Hit and Run Accident Attorney at Van Sant Law Today
Don’t wait to get the help you need after your hit-and-run crash. You deserve to work with an attorney who will put your needs first and fight for a positive outcome in your case. Our founding lawyer, David M. Van Sant, has a strong reputation, having been recognized by Georgia Super Lawyers and many other respected organizations in the legal community.
Van Sant Law can answer any questions you may have and help you understand your legal options. We will take the time to listen to your story and needs so that we can offer personalized service.
Our consultations are free, and we handle cases on a contingency fee basis. We can also provide you with Spanish-language services if needed.
Our attorneys live in the community and have a personal commitment to fighting for our clients to get justice. Contact an Alpharetta hit-and-run accident lawyer today. We offer 24/7 availability and provide electronic case signing for convenience.
