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What To Do After A Hit-And-Run Accident

What To Do After A Hit-And-Run Accident

It is an unfortunate fact that most of us will be involved in a car accident at some point in our lives, whether that be a little fender bender in a parking lot or a more serious car wreck involving the police, medical bills, or a complicated accident claim settlement. Most people know what to do if they are in a car accident involving themself and another vehicle where both parties are present at the scene, but what should you do if you walk outside and find that you were the victim of a hit-and-run accident?

At WSYC Law in Alberta, our car accident lawyers have years of education, experience, and knowledge about settling auto insurance claims in the aftermath of an accident. That being said, here are a few tips for what to do if your vehicle suffered damage from a hit-and-run accident while you were away.

Collect As Much Information As Possible

Odds are, if you were the victim of a hit-and-run car accident, you were not in your car when it happened — if you were, this would be a much different story and the police would likely be on the criminal’s tail, ready to charge them with a host of indictable offenses at the end of a car chase. However, most hit-and-run accidents happen to parked cars along the street or in parking lots, when there is no one inside the vehicle or in the vicinity as a witness.

If this is the case and you discover it long after the damage was done, you’ll still need to collect as much information as possible about the incident. Snap some photos of the damaged area with your cell phone, and see if there are any security cameras in the area that might have gotten the incident on tape. Before entering the vehicle, call the police to get a more in-depth analysis of the situation, such as coloured paint that may have been streaked along the side of your car from the other vehicle or possible witness accounts that were reported to the authorities. The police will also know about any surveillance cameras in the area, like those on nearby shops, parking lots, or even stop lights.

In the event that you are present for the hit-and-run, like if you were checking out at a supermarket and saw the incident through the window, immediately drop what you’re doing and take note of the vehicle’s make, model, and colour, as well as the license plate number, the type of damage that was caused to their car, and any other critical details. Be sure to also make note of the direction the person was driving and the date, time, and exact location of the incident. When you have as much as this information as possible, call the police and provide a calm, brief description of what happened and where the vehicle was headed. Then, hopefully, they will be able to find the offender, charge them with the offense, and help you get the compensation you deserve.

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File An Auto Insurance Claim

Whether or not the police were able to find and charge the offender determines, in part, whether you should file an auto insurance claim. As previously mentioned, any evidence you and the authorities can get your hands on will help your case, as you’ll need tangible proof to settle an auto insurance claim with the offender’s insurance provider. If you were not on the scene at the time of the incident and don’t have any witnesses, surveillance footage, or another form of proof, your auto insurance claim will be more difficult to settle.

This is where we come in. At WSYC Law, our car accident attorneys are equipped and ready to help you settle any kind of car accident claim — even hit-and-runs. When you come to us for help settling an insurance claim if your car was hit in a parking lot or side-swiped on off-street parking, we will do everything in our power to help you get the proper compensation from your insurance provider. We know the challenges that come with auto insurance claims involving only one party, so we can give you a leg up on the situation by leveraging our experience to negotiate with your insurance adjuster.

As car accident lawyers, it is our job to quantify your insured loss and work on your behalf to resolve the issue so you can get back on track with a working, damage-free vehicle. But that’s not all — at WSYC Law, our insurance lawyers do everything from dispute resolution and negotiation to settling home insurance claims, commercial property claims, auto insurance claims, and more. Contact our car accident lawyers today for help settling your auto insurance claim in Alberta! We look forward to helping you recover your loss quickly and smoothly.