How Does a Hit and Run Impact You?

You may be out on the roads often or you may have limited times driving.

That said it only takes one hit and run accident to have a big impact on your life.

So, what can happen to your world if you in fact are in a hit and run accident?

Your Life Can Change in an Instant

In the event you are in a hit and run, here are some things to focus on:

  1. What happens immediately after the accident? – How you handle the immediate aftermath of a hit and run is key. It is not uncommon for someone as a victim in such an incident to be in some shock. Even a hit and run at slow speeds can jar someone. The focus should be on your physical well-being. Such an accident can lead to injuries from cuts and lacerations to broken bones and worse. If medical personnel appear at the scene, be sure to let them check you out. If they do not come, it is smart to go and get yourself checked out to be safe. 
  2. Finding out who hit you – In many hits and runs, they happen so fast that it can be hard to determine who caused it. Unless you have a witness or two or you saw who did it, they could be gone in an instant and tough to track down. That is where even getting a license plate and description of the vehicle can be so important. Once you have the chance, you could go online and try to do a car owner lookup. That lookup can yield key clues about a vehicle and you might even get lucky to locate the owner. If you have a witness or two at the scene, be sure and ask them to provide whatever details they have to offer. They may have even caught something on their cell phone. Last, if there are any businesses in the area, they may have outdoor cameras that recorded the event.
  3. How your vehicle held up – How did your vehicle hold up? Depending on the speed you were hit at and where the vehicle was hit, it may have held up or been quite damaged. This is important moving forward to if you need to replace the auto or it can be repaired. In working with your insurer, do not accept any settlements until you’ve had a chance to think it through. Also look to hold the person who hit you responsible for any financial damages.
  4. Learning from this event – Finally, learning from this even can help you out moving ahead. That is giving you some things to think about when you next take to the roads. How you reacted to the incident could change how you go about driving moving forward. The key is to not be afraid out on the roads and drive with confidence. Given you likely have to drive for a variety of reasons, do not let a hit and run prevent you from doing this.

When you are the victim of a hit and run, how will it impact you?