Many drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians are injured in San Diego hit and run accidents every year. For example, just this week, a man and his passenger driving black Saab suffered injuries, including a neck fracture, by a hit and run drunk driver at the intersection of Park Boulevard and University Avenue in the North Park area of San Diego.
Most people think that if they are in an accident involving a hit-and-run driver and the driver cannot be found, there is no insurance money available to cover their injuries other than their own personal health insurance. However, this is not always the case where the injured party has uninsured motorist coverage under their own automobile insurance policy. Uninsured motorist coverage, which also includes underinsured motorist
coverage, will cover you if the other driver cannot be found, has no insurance, or does not have enough insurance to cover your injuries.
For this reason, it is important to re-examine your own auto or motorcycle insurance coverage to make sure you have purchased this type of coverage in the unfortunate event you are ever injured in a similar accident.
If you are ever involved in a San Diego hit and run accident and the other driver does not have insurance, it is important to report the accident right away. Most Uninsured Motorist Insurance policies have strict accident reporting requirements. Usually, the requirement is that the accident must be reported to the police within 24 hours. The best practice is to call the police from the accident scene, file a written report and notify your insurance company immediately. If you fail to do any of the above, your insurance company could deny your claim. It is also important to allow for your insurance company to have an opportunity to inspect your car. You should also write down as much information as you can regarding the offending car, along with getting the contact information of any witnesses and check to see if there are any video surveillance cameras that may have captured the incident.
To re-cap, if you have been involved in a hit and run accident:
- Call the police
- File a written report
- Notify your insurance company immediately
- Allow your insurance company to inspect your car
- Write down as much information about the offending car
- Get contact information for all witnesses
- Look for video surveillance cameras and get a copy of the video
If you have been involved in a hit and run accident in San Diego and are not sure whether there is insurance coverage available to cover your injuries and to provide you with adequate compensation, contact us today for a free evaluation. Our San Diego car accident attorneys are experienced in handling personal injury cases.