A Riverside hit-and-run lawyer at Bisnar Chase will fight to ensure you get the compensation you deserve after a car accident, even if the at-fault driver fled the scene.
Many people believe that there is nothing they can do if they are injured in a hit-and-run accident in Riverside. But that is not always true. You need an experienced attorney on your side, working on your car accident claim even when the responsible party is not immediately known.
Our firm handles personal injury cases in Riverside and across the Inland Empire area with outstanding results.
We have a 99% success rate with more than $850 Million won for our clients.
Our firm has a Riverside office and has won countless cases in the area.
We provide a free consultation and a no win, no fee promise.
If you have suffered a physical injury in a hit-and-run crash, we can help. Call now at (951) 530-3711 for immediate assistance. You can also send an email or live chat through our website.
Hit and Run Accident Lawyer Riverside
What is a Hit and Run?
A hit-and-run is when a driver causes an auto accident and then leaves the scene of the crash without exchanging details or waiting for the police.
According to California law, anyone involved in a collision must stop at the nearest safe location and remain at the scene.
Causing a collision and then fleeing the scene is cowardly and leaves accident victims in a tough position. It is also illegal and carries a criminal penalty when the offender is caught.
Why Do Drivers Flee the Scene?
There are several reasons why a driver might flee after a crash. These include the following:
They do not have insurance.
The driver has consumed drugs or alcohol and knows they will face a DUI.
They are afraid of the consequences and panic.
The car is borrowed or stolen.
They already have a warrant out for their arrest.
In other cases, the driver might be oblivious to a collision or rationalize that a crash was not bad enough that they needed to stop.
The circumstances do not matter. It is always irresponsible and wrong to leave the scene of a car crash.
How Do You File a Claim After a Hit and Run?
Most car accident cases are pretty simple. Your lawyer will work with the at-fault party’s insurance company to agree on a fair settlement covering your medical expenses, repair costs, and other damages.
But things are complicated when there is no individual or insurance policy against which to file a claim. Here are some of the options available to hit-and-run accident victims:
File a Claim Through Your Insurance Company: Your own insurance policy might pay out for your injuries and damages. However, it will depend on the terms of your policy. You may require uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage or another optional add-on.
Identify the Driver: The best method of recovering maximum compensation is identifying the responsible driver. This may involve handing over as much evidence as possible to police, monitoring their investigation, and conducting any additional investigations with the help of a lawyer.
Consider Other Sources of Negligence: In some cases, other sources may be targeted in a lawsuit. For example, some car accident lawsuits might name multiple defendants if a dangerous road layout contributed to the accident.
Contact a Riverside hit-and-run attorney at Bisnar Chase today to learn more about your options.
Why You Need a Riverside Car Accident Lawyer
Car accident claims are much tougher when they involve a hit-and-run. The challenges involved make it even more important that you work with an experienced legal professional who has success in this type of case.
The following are just some of the points that make hiring an experienced car accident attorney essential.
Insurance negotiations: An insurance provider will not want to pay out and will focus on minimizing your claim. But our attorneys are expert negotiators who will analyze your policy and ensure you get the maximum possible payout.
Investigations: We work with the best investigators in the business. If anyone can track down the culprit after a crash, it is our team.
Police communication: After a hit-and-run, we must remain in regular contact with police regarding any ongoing investigation.
Filing a car accident lawsuit: Depending on how the case unfolds, the process of filing a legal claim, completing paperwork, and hitting court deadlines can be a lot of work.
Win more money: Studies show that those who have been involved in car accidents and suffered serious injuries are likely to recover significantly more compensation when an attorney handles their case.
There is no escaping the fact that legal cases – especially those complicated by a lack of defendant, such as a hit and run – are challenging and all-consuming.
Put your personal injury claim in our hands and let us handle every step for you, allowing you to step back and focus on your recovery. Contact a Riverside hit and run lawyer today for a free consultation and to see if you have a personal injury case.
Criminal Charge vs. Civil Lawsuit: Understanding the Process
Understanding the distinctions between the criminal and civil aspects of a hit-and-run is important. Police may arrest and charge an offender for leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident. This falls under criminal action.
Is a Hit and Run a Felony?
There are two types of charges that the offender could be hit with. They are:
Misdemeanor hit-and-run: Under Vehicle Code § 20002, a misdemeanor hit-and-run usually only involves property damage. Offenders could get up to one year in a county jail and a $1,000 fine.
Felony hit-and-run: More serious hit-and-runs causing injury or death could result in a felony charge. This carries up to four years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
However, our Riverside hit and run attorneys handle civil actions, which are completely separate from criminal charges. We work on behalf of car accident victims to recover financial compensation from the perpetrator or through an insurance claim.
Does Insurance Cover Hit and Runs?
There are plenty of different forms of auto insurance and policy add-ons in California. Some may help compensate you after a hit-and-run, but others will not.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Insurance: UM/UIM coverage is an add-on to your own policy. It can help compensate you if an uninsured driver strikes you or increase the money available to you if the offending driver has lesser insurance. In a hit-and-run, it is likely to cover bodily injuries, but will only cover property damage if the offending driver is identified.
Collision or Comprehensive Insurance: Your own collision insurance should cover any damage to your vehicle, but it may not extend to your other losses. Comprehensive insurance is usually an add-on to your base policy that covers non-collision events, but is unlikely to be of any help after a hit-and-run accident.
Medical Payments Coverage: Another optional add-on, MedPay provides medical coverage after motor vehicle accidents for drivers and passengers, even for those at fault. You will be able to make a MedPay claim after a hit-and-run.
Insurance Options
These are some of the insurance options available to you after a hit and run if the driver’s identity is unknown and you cannot claim against their liability insurance. However, it is important to note that most useful hit-and-run policy options are not required in California. If you have base coverage, your options might be limited.
Contact our law firm to work with a Riverside car accident lawyer who will assess your multiple insurance policies and determine your options.
Compensation for a Hit-and-Run Car Accident
What damages can you be compensated for after a hit-and-run car accident in Riverside? It will depend on your insurance policy and whether the driver is identified. But your lawyers will fight to compensate you for factors including:
Medical bills.
Lost wages.
Property damage.
Pain and suffering.
Even a seemingly minor accident can have disastrous consequences and cause severe injuries. But at Bisnar Chase, we deal with countless motor vehicle crashes every year. You can trust us to maximize the value of your personal injury case.
Do the Police Ever Catch Hit-and-Run Drivers?
The number of hit-and-runs across the U.S. every year is staggering. But are they ever solved?
Statistics vary by location and across different areas of research. For example, one report from a university in England estimated a hit-and-run solve rate of about 10%.
Other figures from the Los Angeles area suggest a hit-and-run crash solve rate could range from 8-15%, while other authorities report greater success.
However, it should be noted that the chances of catching a hit-and-run driver in Riverside, CA, are always rising. Many cars are now fitted with dash cams, while most streets and cities are now well equipped with street and traffic cameras that capture footage of license plates and car types.
Hit-and-Run Statistics
About 750,000 crashes involve a driver fleeing the scene every year in the U.S.
Hit and runs account for about 12% of all crashes across the United States.
They cause more than 140,000 injuries and 2,000+ deaths annually.
Fatal hit-and-runs are most likely to happen at night, with more than half involving pedestrians.
California has the most fatal hit-and-run accidents of any state.
Common Causes of Car Accidents
Riverside car accidents occur every day. The following are some of the most common causes of auto accidents across Riverside County.
Distracted driving, such as eating or texting while driving.
Speeding and tailgating.
Running red lights.
Reckless driving.
Ignoring stop signs and other road signs.
Making improper turns and unsafe lane changes.
Driver fatigue.
Poor weather conditions.
Auto defects, including vehicle design defects and manufacturing issues with the motor vehicles themselves.
Potholes and dangerous roadway design.
Driver inexperience and decision-making.
There are plenty of potential causes of an automobile accident. But no matter how it happens, both drivers must stop at the scene. If you have been injured in a crash, contact our team for a free evaluation of your Riverside car accident case.
What To Do If You are Hurt in a Hit and Run
Ordinarily, you would exchange insurance information with the other driver after a car accident. But when the driver does not stop, you should do everything possible to identify the offending vehicle. Follow the guide below for the best steps to take after a hit-and-run.
Write down anything you can remember about the car that hit you and fled the accident scene. Important details can include the make, model, and color of the car, the point of impact, and the license plate number (full or partial).
Call 911. Request an ambulance if anyone is seriously injured. Report the accident to the police and ask for a police report.
Take down the contact details of anyone who witnessed the accident.
If there are nearby commercial premises, you could ask if they have any footage showing the vehicle or accident.
When safe to do so, retrieve any dash cam footage from your own vehicle or nearby vehicles.
Hire an accident attorney in Riverside to handle the legal process. They will communicate with your insurance company, conduct an investigation, and monitor the police investigation.
Hit-and-Run Accident FAQs
Our Riverside personal injury attorneys are on hand to answer any questions. A car accident case can be stressful, and we want to help in any way we can. Sometimes, that means answering your questions and making you comfortable with the process.
What if I'm partially to blame for the accident?
You can still take successful legal action if you were partly at fault for an accident. Your compensation may be reduced, but California’s comparative negligence law allows you to hold other negligent parties accountable regardless of your fault.
What is the statute of limitations for hit-and-run cases?
The statute of limitations is the amount of time you have to start the legal process after an accident. In hit-and-run cases, you have two years from the date of the accident. Criminal hit-and-runs sometimes have an extended statute of limitations of six years, but this does not apply to civil claims.
How long will my case take?
Every case is different. A hit-and-run claim will depend on many factors, including the status of any investigation into the driver. Rest assured that our Riverside car accident lawyers will resolve your case as quickly and efficiently as possible without sacrificing quality or leaving money on the table.
What happens if the police catch the driver?
When the police catch a hit-and-run driver, the victim will be informed. They can then file a claim against the driver’s liability insurance or a personal injury lawsuit to cover lost wages, medical expenses, and significant property damage.
How much will a Riverside car accident attorney cost?
Bisnar Chase does everything possible to protect you from out-of-pocket expenses. You pay nothing upfront – we take our payment from the final compensation recovery. If we don’t win, you pay nothing.
If you have further questions that we have not answered, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
Riverside No Win, No Fee Attorneys
If you are injured in a car accident in Riverside due to another reckless driver, you should never have to pay out of pocket. To save our clients from daunting legal fees and mounting expenses, we offer a no win, no fee promise to our clients. But how does it work?
Essentially, we advance the money required to win your case, including filing fees and the costs of investigating a car accident claim.
Once the case is resolved, our fees are taken from the compensation recovery. This is a pre-agreed percentage that is capped by law to ensure that plaintiffs are never taken advantage of. If we don’t win, our clients owe nothing. It is a win/win agreement that protects the clients and gives everyone access to top-tier legal representation. Call our no win no fee hit and run lawyers in Riverside today for a free case evaluation.
Car Accident Injuries
For our law firm to take a case, some form of physical injury must be involved. We have handled countless car accidents, ranging from relatively minor harm to catastrophic injury cases. Common car accident injuries include:
Broken bones.
Cuts and bruises.
Head, neck, and spinal injuries.
Traumatic brain injuries.
Internal injuries.
Whether you or a loved one are suffering from whiplash or have life-threatening injuries after a hit and run, our team is here to help. Contact our Riverside car accident attorneys today.
Contact the Best Riverside Car Accident Lawyers Nearby
When you are injured due to someone else’s negligence and the at-fault driver flees from the accident scene, Bisnar Chase is here to help. We have an office in Riverside and take great pride in providing superior legal representation to people across Southern California.
Not all law firms have the same level of quality and experience, but Bisnar Chase is a nationally renowned firm with the track record, reputation, reviews, and satisfied clients to prove it.
We have a 99% success rate.
More than $850 Million recovered.
A free consultation and a no win, no fee policy.
The resources of a major law firm, but with the attention to detail and client care of a small family firm.
You need a trial lawyer at your side who will track a hit-and-run investigation relentlessly to ensure you get the justice you deserve. Let Bisnar Chase fight for you.
Contact Bisnar Chase today for a free review of your hit-and-run car crash case. Call us at (951) 530-3711 to speak to a Riverside hit-and-run attorney. You can also send us an email or use our website live chat. We look forward to hearing from you.
