Can I still recover for damages in a hit-and-run accident?
No one likes the morning commute to work, but when tempers apparently flared recently on 14 Freeway, a road rage driven hit-and-run accident left injuries and property damage in its wake—including both for an uninvolved driver.
According to video footage taken by a driver travelling just behind the dueling duo, a chain reaction crash happened after a motorcycle driver kicked the side of a sedan causing it to “swerve wildly, hit the median and ricochet into the right lanes” hitting and overturning an uninvolved truck and injuring the truck driver. The biker, who managed to remain upright during the motorcycle accident, then sped off. Â
The witness who shot the video of the accident said that the biker had passed him between lanes, too, and when the sedan driver attempted to exit the carpool lane he allegedly either accidentally or intentionally “bumped” the biker, which appeared to be the catalyst for the road rage incident that followed.
Regardless of fault, leaving the scene of a car accident in California that you are involved in, without stopping to identify yourself or offering aid, is a crime. A hit-and-run accident may involve hitting another vehicle, a pedestrian, or a fixed object. The law requires “all motorists who are involved in an accident that resulted in injury or death to stop immediately at the scene and remain until authorities arrive.”
If you’ve been injured by the reckless, negligent, or intentional actions of somebody else, you are entitled to compensation for your damages and injuries, including medical costs, lost wages, property damage, pain and suffering, and more through a personal injury lawsuit. Even if the hit-and-run driver isn’t found, you may be able to recover damages from your own insurance or from state-sponsored victim’s funds, depending on where you live and the circumstances of your case.
If you have been the victim of a hit-and-run accident, or any accident, the personal injury attorneys at the Law Firm of J&Y can help you. For a free consultation contact us today. We will fight to help you obtain the compensation to which you are entitled to. With 21 offices throughout northern and southern California, we are conveniently located near you.