What Is a Hit-and-Run?

Put simply, a hit-and-run accident occurs when one vehicle strikes another car, motorcycle, bicycle, pedestrian, or vehicle on the road and then leaves the scene of the accident without stopping. Hit-and-run accidents can happen anywhere — on highways and back roads, in big cities, and in rural or suburban settings. Texas is no stranger to hit-and-run accidents; one news report notes that the state is in the top ten for fatal hit-and-run crashes.

Hit-and-runs are serious business. In Texas, leaving the scene of an accident constitutes a crime under many circumstances, including a crash that results in personal injury or damage to a vehicle or other property, and it carries with it serious fines, even jail time in some circumstances.

A hit-and-run accident can also result in civil liability. If you were the victim of a hit-and-run accident in Texas, you may be able to file a claim and receive compensation for your injuries and damages.

What Should I Do After a Hit-and-Run in Houston?

If you’ve been a hit-and-run victim, you must take certain steps to protect your legal rights and ensure you receive the care you need to get better. First and foremost, get yourself to safety and make sure you get checked out for your injuries.

Even if you feel completely fine, a hit-and-run accident can cause personal injuries that don’t appear immediately — some may take days or weeks to manifest. It is important to understand the full extent of your injuries and to make sure you are receiving medical treatment for them.

In a hit-and-run accident case, it is essential that you document everything:

• Take pictures of the scene, your injuries, and the damage to your vehicle or other personal property.
• While the accident is fresh in your mind, write down or record your account of what happened, and ask any witnesses to do the same.
• Make sure you obtain contact information for any witnesses at the scene and also make sure you report the accident to the authorities and fill out any paperwork that is needed.
• Seek out any potential ways to get a recording of exactly what happened, such as surveillance camera footage nearby.

After a hit-and-run, it is important to work with an experienced attorney who will help you thoroughly investigate the facts of your case and preserve important evidence that can help prove it. They will work to research the applicable laws and draft a claim on your behalf. In this type of case, that can be tough to do on your own, as questions of liability and damages can be confusing and complex.

A hit-and-run accident lawyer will also be able to negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf, striving towards a favorable settlement offer. Often, large insurance companies have significant resources, and they generally offer as little compensation as possible. By working with an experienced lawyer, you will be able to even the playing field and ensure your legal rights are protected during negotiations.  

What Damages Can I Potentially Recover?

After a hit-and-run accident, there are various types of general and special damages that you may be able to recover. Compensatory damages are the out-of-pocket costs that you have incurred as a result of your accident, and these are generally easier to prove as long as you have documentation to help. General damages are those that cannot be readily accounted for, sometimes needing the assistance of a jury to put a dollar amount on them.

For example, after a hit-and-run accident, you may be faced with the following types of significant out-of-pocket expenses:

• Hospital stays
• The costs of medical testing, imaging, and treatments
• Doctors and specialists’ visits
• Prescription medications
• Mechanic’s bills
• The replacement cost of your vehicle
• The loss of your income from your current job
• The cost of nursing or home care

In addition to the above, a hit-and-run accident may leave you with general damages, such as the following:

• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish and emotional distress
• Lost future wages or income if you cannot work after your accident
• Loss of enjoyment of activities that you can no longer do
• Loss of consortium
• Scarring or disfigurement
• A general decline in the quality of your life

How Can Johnson Garcia Help With Your hit-and-run Accident Case?

A hit-and-run accident can leave you struggling, and it is important that you get the medical care you need, as well as sound legal advice to help you recover compensation for your damages. With over 35 years of combined experience, we have helped many clients with catastrophic injuries recover compensation, and our reviews from our clients and our track record speak for themselves.

Our goal is to focus on your case so that you can focus on getting better. We will negotiate on your behalf towards a favorable settlement, and even when the other party or their insurer are not negotiating fairly, we can help file a lawsuit on your behalf and take your case to trial, if needed. If you have suffered a serious injury during a hit-and-run accident that was the fault of another party, contact the personal injury lawyers at Johnson Garcia for a free consultation.