If you are in a vehicle and are hit by another car or truck, you should call 911 immediately for the police and ambulance if there are injuries. You should also remain at the scene, only moving the vehicle out of the roadway for safety purposes. If possible, get witness’ contact information. Make sure you get immediate medical treatment recorded and call an experienced car accident attorney. At Flora Templeton Stuart Accident Injury Lawyers, you only pay a fee if we win so you never have to worry about paying our team to take your case. Your attorney will handle the insurance company. If there are no injuries or you are at-fault, you will not need an injury attorney, but you should notify your insurance company immediately.
What’s In This Guide:
- What do I do if someone hits my car?
- What To Do If Someone Hits Your Car And Leaves Or Hits Your Car And Doesn’t Leave A Note
- Does Your Car Insurance Go Up If Someone Hits You?
- Should You Call The Police, Or Handle This Privately?
- Need Help? Call The Car Accident Attorneys
What do I do if someone hits my car?
As a driver on Kentucky roads, you’re more likely to get into a collision than other road traffic accidents. Data from the Kentucky Traffic Safety Data Services shows that motor vehicle collisions were the most common accident in 2018.
Over 67,000 of the traffic collisions, slightly over 50%, involved two motorists. While most of the accidents weren’t fatal, some victims suffered severe injuries and had to be rushed to hospital. Afterwards, the victims had a huge responsibility of reporting the accident to the police, filing insurance claims, seeking medical attention, and more. The aftermath of a car collision accident is complex and often requires the intervention of a seasoned car accident lawyer.
If you’re involved in a traffic accident while driving down the highways in Kentucky or Tennessee, our skilled team of personal injury lawyers at Flora Templeton Stuart are on hand to help you seek compensation.
What To Do If Someone Hits Your Car And Leaves Or Hits Your Car And Doesn’t Leave A Note
If a motorist flees after ramming into your car, that’s a hit-and-run car collision. In hit-and-run car accidents, your insurer considers the at-fault driver as uninsured. In Kentucky, failing to stop after a car accident is Class A misdemeanor, but it becomes a Class D felony when there’s physical injuries or fatality. Here’s what to do after a hit-and-run accident:
- Check for witnesses: Ask pedestrians, residents, or retailers in the vicinity where your car is if they saw who hit your car. Or if they remember the cars parked next to you.
- Check for security cameras: Parking lots, shopping malls, and even business premises often have CCTV cameras. You may obtain video evidence detailing the accident. Or the police may follow up with the storeowners or security office to secure the footage.
- Document the damage: Take videos and photos of the damage to your car from different angles. Document every bit of damage that may call for repairs and capture the entire scene as well.
- Call the police: Let the officers make a report of the accident and request a copy. Your insurer may require a police report when filing a claim.
- Notify your auto insurer: Contact your insurer as soon as you have the police report. It’s best to do it while the details are still fresh in your memory. If the car is badly damaged, call for roadside assistance to tow it.
- File a claim: Your auto insurance will pick the tab after a hit-and-run accident if you have proper coverage. Collision coverage covers the damage from any accident regardless of the at-fault driver. Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage covers vehicle repair and medical bills in a hit-and-run accident.
- Find the other driver if you can: Sometimes, the best thing you can do is try to find the vehicle or driver that caused the collision. If you are able to track them down, never approach or confront them. Instead, contact the police and give them the license plate information and address.
Does Your Car Insurance Go Up If Someone Hits You?
It’s only natural to worry about your insurance going up after making a claim but that’s not always the case. Generally, if the accident was not your fault your insurance should not increase, and your company should be able to collect from the at-fault driver’s insurance. If the other driver is not at-fault, you can collect on your own collision coverage for your vehicle and your Personal Injury Protection (PIP) for medicals and wages. If the other driver is at-fault but not insured, you can collect from your uninsured policy,
Your insurance premiums are unlikely to go up if someone hits you and they were 100% at-fault. But Kentucky is a comparative negligence state, and insurers can apportion blame to both drivers. If it’s determined that you contributed to the accident, you aren’t entitled to a full insurance payout. You may need to claim the rest of the damage from your insurer, which might raise your insurance premiums.
Should You Call The Police, Or Handle This Privately?
You are required by law to call the police. In Kentucky, the police should do an accident report if the accident causes:
- A fatality
- Bodily injuries
- Property damage valued over $500
You should file the report within ten days of the accident. You may file the report online, visiting the nearest police station, or mail a Civilian Collision Report form.
Need Help? Call The Car Accident Attorneys
If you or a loved one were involved in a car collision, contact the experienced car accident injury lawyers at Flora Templeton Stuart Injury lawyers today. We will help you with your claim and ensure that you get justice and the compensation you deserve. Let our 45+ years of legal experience work for you. Contact us today or schedule a case evaluation for free advice from an experienced injury lawyer.
