Hit-and-run accidents are alarmingly common in the United States, with statistics showing more than one such incident occurring every minute. For New Jersey residents, the situation is particularly concerning as fatal hit-and-run accidents have increased by 38 percent between 2013 and 2016. Regardless of the reasons behind these increases, the consequences for victims are devastating. Those who suffer serious injuries or lose a loved one in hit-and-run incidents face not only emotional and physical trauma but also the challenge of seeking justice and compensation without the responsible party present.
At Nagel Rice LLP, our experienced personal injury attorneys have advocated for victims of hit-and-run accidents across New Jersey for over 30 years. With a compassionate approach and a commitment to justice, our team, operating from our offices in New Jersey and New York, has secured substantial compensation for our clients. We are dedicated to navigating the complexities of hit-and-run cases, ensuring that each victim receives the thorough investigation and aggressive representation needed to achieve just outcomes.
What Is a Hit-and-Run Car Accident?
A hit-and-run accident is defined as one in which a driver intentionally leaves the scene before helping any injured victims or providing any contact information. Not only is leaving the scene irresponsible and uncaring, but it is also against the law, whether or not the driver who drives away was at fault for the accident. A driver who has hit another vehicle (car, motorcycle, bicycle, skateboard), an object, a sizable animal, or a pedestrian is considered to have committed a crime if he or she drives off. This is true even if the driver has hit a parked car. In that case, you are required by law to leave a note with your contact information for the owner.
Why Do Drivers Flee the Scene of a Car Accident?
A great many drivers flee the scene of a car accident. They know they face increased legal consequences because they are driving without a license, registration, or insurance, driving a stolen automobile, impaired by alcohol or drugs, have been charged with another crime, or are engaged in criminal activity at the time of the event. Although technological and scientific advances have given law enforcement a decided edge in tracking down hit-and-run drivers in recent years, many of these scofflaws remain at large.
How Nagel Rice Will Help You Get the Compensation You Deserve
Assuming that the hit-and-run driver is caught and has insurance, our sharp, agile attorneys will devise a carefully crafted strategy to win your case. Depending on the particular circumstances of the car accident and the nature of your injuries, you will be entitled to both economic and non-economic damages.
- Economic damages compensate you for monies you have spent or will spend, on injury-related costs, such as medical and rehabilitative costs, lost wages (present and future), and property damage.
- Non-economic damages, on the other hand, reimburse you for consequences that are difficult to assign a monetary value, such as physical pain, emotional suffering, loss of consortium or permanent disability.
If someone has been killed by the hit-and-run driver, funeral, and burial costs will be added to all of the above compensatory damages in a wrongful death lawsuit. Additionally, if the defendant’s behavior is particularly egregious — driving off and leaving an injured person to die may qualify! — you (the plaintiff) may also be entitled to punitive damages.
Punitive damages are monies offered not as compensation to the injured party, but rather as punishment to the offender. They are also designed to discourage anyone else from committing similar horrendous acts. But if the defendant was liable for hit and run on top of having caused the car accident, the damages ordered by the court will almost surely be increased. Often in New Jersey, “treble damages” will be imposed on the guilty party, meaning the original compensatory damages will be tripled.
What Happens If the Hit-and-Run Driver in New Jersey Is Not Caught or Is Uninsured?
If the driver who hit you is never found, or if he or she is found but does not have insurance, what then? New Jersey is a “no-fault” state; it is also one of several no-fault states that allow injured parties to make a no-fault claim with their own insurance carriers. The way it works is that New Jersey drivers are required to purchase Personal Injury Protection (PIP) which will cover them if they are injured by an uninsured hit-and-run driver. PIP, however, will not cover property damage, only personal injury. To be compensated for property damage, you must carry a collision on your own insurance policy.
Contact Our New Jersey & New York Hit and Run Car Accident Attorneys
Being the victim of a hit-and-run driver is particularly distressing because you have been hurt and abandoned by the very person responsible for your pain. At Nagel Rice, we understand the depth of your trauma. As your legal representatives, we share your anger and frustration at a person who seems to lack normal human concern. You can count on our car accident attorney to support you in every possible way and ensure you receive the funds you need to get you back on your feet. We can be reached by phone or through a contact form on our website.
Nagel Rice LLP helps its clients with their car accident and injury claims throughout New Jersey, including Roseland, Bergen County, Essex County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Morris County, Passaic County, and Sussex County. We also represent clients in New York.