What Are Hit-And-Run Accidents?
A hit-and-run could mean that a pedestrian was hit by a motor vehicle and the person who was driving the motor vehicle fled the scene. A hit-and-run can also mean that a motor vehicle has hit another motor vehicle and the driver of one or more of the vehicles fled the scene. In Georgia, it is mandatory that a driver of a motor vehicle have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.
In many cases, this coverage can be used in a situation if you were in an accident and the driver of another motor vehicle, or the drivers of other motor vehicles if you were involved in a collision where more than one or two vehicles were involved, have fled the scene of the accident. If you have been involved in a hit and run collision, then you may contact us at 770-865-8654 or julierice@julirecelaw.com. All of our legal consultations are free of charge.
Pedestrians are very often the victims of hit and run circumstances. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has stated that in the year of 2011, in the United States, 4,432 pedestrians who were hit by a motor vehicle were killed, and 69,000 pedestrians who were struck by a motor vehicle were injured, and stated the following facts:
- 73 percent of fatalities that pedestrians suffered happened in an urban vs. rural location;
- 70 percent of the fatalities that happened were at places where there was not an intersection;
- 88 percent of the pedestrian deaths happened under weather conditions that were considered normal such as cloudy or clear but not in rainy, snowy or foggy weather conditions;
- 70 percent of the pedestrian deaths occurred at night between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. The NHTSA also noted that the majority of pedestrian deaths during the week happen between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and midnight whereas a majority of pedestrian deaths on the weekend happens between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m.;
- Pedestrians who were age 65 or older made up 19 percent of the fatalities (844 total), and approximately 10 percent or 7,000 of those pedestrians who were age 65 or older were injured;
- 70 percent of the pedestrians that were killed were males;
- Close to 1/5th of children from ages five to nine that were killed in motor vehicle related accidents were children that were pedestrians;
- Alcohol played a role, whether it be on the part of the driver or on the part of the pedestrian, in almost one-half (48 percent) of the cases where a pedestrian was killed; and
- Georgia had 1.32 pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 people in Georgia; this number was slightly above average for the United States.
It is important to note that the statistics above do not mean that every pedestrian fatality in the United States was caused by a motor vehicle driver who fled the scene. The statistics above are meant to highlight how often approximately one pedestrian every two hours is killed by a motor vehicle in the United States. More disturbing is the fact that one pedestrian every eight minutes is injured by a motor vehicle, pedestrian and motor vehicle contact can result in an injury or death.
If you are involved in a hit-and-run collision, whether as a driver or a pedestrian, then if possible try to obtain the license plate number of the driver who has left the scene. If the person leaving the scene is a pedestrian or a driver who is attempting to flee on foot, then try to get as much detail as possible about that person. In times today when it seems that most people have a cellular phone if it is possible, then take a picture or a video of the person or motor vehicle leaving the scene.
If you are injured, then seek medical attention immediately and then contact competent legal counsel to assist you in weeding through the insurance issues that are specific to hit and run accidents. It is important in these types of cases that you do not wait to hire a lawyer to assist you so that a proper investigation takes place before valuable evidence is destroyed or rendered useless due to the passage of time.
At Julie A. Rice, Attorney at Law, & Affiliates, our personal injury lawyers are trusted for our hit-and-run accident scenarios. We know the laws as the law pertains to a particular set of facts and circumstances, and we know the insurance implications of these types of cases and the laws pertaining to hit-and-run accidents. You may reach us by phone 770-865-8654 or by emailing us at juliericelaw@icloud.com.
We look forward to hearing from you and working through the facts of your particular case and to pave the road to achieving the most lucrative compensation that we can for you under the circumstances of your particular case.
