Hit and run accidents are more common than people might realize. They can leave you feeling scared and confused all within the blink of an eye. One question we get asked often by our clients is whether you should follow the driver that hit you and then left the scene? The answer to this is no, absolutely not. Chasing after the car that left the scene can be a very dangerous thing to do. People that leave the scene of an accident typically have something to hide from the police, or else they wouldn’t leave. It could be that they have an expired license, a stolen car, drugs or even an unregistered weapon in the vehicle amongst many other issues. You don’t want to risk your own life trying to get the insurance information of the vehicle.

    What can you do in this kind of situation? We recommend that you take photos of the car and license plate before they drive off, but that’s not always possible or safe to do. Another option that is a little safer, is to install a dashcam in your vehicle. Hopefully, if you were involved in a crash and the vehicle fled the scene, the dashcam would be able to pick up the vehicle details. Regardless of whether or not you were able to obtain photos or videos of the vehicle that left the scene, make sure to not leave the scene of the accident. Also, you will need to call the police right away to report what happened so they can come out and do a report. This report will be helpful to provide to your auto insurance company.

    Another concern people have is whether they can make a claim for their injuries if they are not able to obtain the insurance information for the car that hit them. The answer to this is, maybe. To be able to make a claim in a situation of a hit and run where you do not have the insurance information of the person that hit you, you would need to have uninsured motorist coverage on your auto policy. If you do, you can make a claim for your injuries through your own insurance and even potentially receive a settlement. This is extremely important coverage to have and can really be a life saver in situations such as these. If you do not have uninsured motorist on your policy, unfortunately you are left without any options and will have to bear the brunt of your out-of-pocket expenses. Uninsured motorist coverage is not required in the state of Florida. So, even if your insurance agent tells you your policy has “full coverage”, that almost never includes uninsured motorist so be sure to ask your agent about it.