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Any auto accident can send your life in a direction you didn’t expect. But a hit and run accident poses special challenges to injured motorists and their families. If the police can’t find the person who hit you, you are going to need an experienced hit and run lawyer to fight for your recovery.
Hit and Run and No-Fault Benefits
After a hit and run accident, or any auto accident, your first line of defense is a no-fault auto insurance policy. If you are an insured driver or have a family member with a policy in your household, that auto insurer will cover your medical expenses, lost wages, and attendant care costs.
However, if you are a passenger, your options for no-fault benefits could be limited. Without a resident relative’s no-fault policy to cover you, the policy covering the car you were in will provide your no-fault benefits. If that car was uninsured, your case will be covered by the Assigned Claims Plan.
As a pedestrian, bicyclist, or motorcycle rider, you can face even higher hurdles when you file your no-fault claim. Your auto insurer will likely claim that there was no accident involved at all. You and your auto accident attorneys will need to use police reports, witness testimony, and accident reconstruction experts to prove that you are entitled to no-fault benefits at all.
Serious Hit and Run Accidents Need Uninsured Motorist Coverage
The more serious the hit and run accident, the bigger the risk is that an injured motorist’s recovery will go unpaid. With no defendant in sight, a fatal hit and run accident can leave the deceased’s family searching for a way to make up the loss of support, income, and companionship. Traditional third party litigation is not an option because there is no at-fault driver to sue.
The answer is uninsured motorist coverage. This voluntary insurance policy fills the gap when an injured motorist cannot get Third Party damages from the negligent driver. Also called an underinsured motorist policy, this insurance allows you to file a claim against your own insurance provider for damages normally excluded from the no-fault process, including:
- Extended lost wages
- Disfigurement and disability
- Loss of support and companionship
- Pain and suffering.
How much you or your family can receive depends on the caps on your policy.
Hit and run accidents make recovery difficult for injured motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists. It takes a skilled auto accident attorney to find and preserve insurance claims to fill the void left behind by a missing at-fault driver. If you have been seriously injured by a hit and run driver, contact Christensen Law, a Michigan hit and run lawyer, today for a free consultation.
