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In 2018, over 750 people reported an injury from a hit-and-run accident in South Carolina. According to state law, if an accident involves injury or death, all drivers must stop at the scene and exchange their information with the other involved drivers. If a driver does not follow this law, and legal authorities are not able to track them down, anyone injured may still be able to recover financially through uninsured motorist insurance. This article explains what steps you can take to achieve this coverage after a hit-and-run in South Carolina.

What Is Uninsured Motorist Coverage?

Uninsured motorist coverage protects you if you are hit by someone who does not have auto insurance. One may only recover uninsured motorist coverage if:

1. A driver without insurance crashes into you, flees the scene, and is later identified
2. A driver hits you and flees the scene but is not later identified
3. A driver forces you off the road and flees the scene

If you have been hit in a hit-and-run accident, you may be able to file a claim to receive damages from uninsured coverage.

Pursuing Compensation After a Hit-and-Run

Achieving compensation through uninsured motorist coverage or a lawsuit requires a certain level of evidence and documentation. To document your claim, you must report a hit-and-run accident to the police within a “reasonable” amount of time. Because “reasonable” is a subjective term, it would be best to report the accident to law enforcement as soon as possible.

The injury must have been caused by clear physical contact with the other driver, or the accident was seen by a witness other than the ones involved in the crash. That witness has to be willing to sign an affidavit swearing to tell the truth about what they saw. You must also prove you attempted to identify the driver who caused the crash.

Call an Injury Attorney After a Hit and Run Accident

When you get hurt in a hit-and-run accident, call an injury attorney. Just because the driver in a hit-and-run driver was not identified does not mean that you cannot receive any compensation. With the help of either a witness or clear evidence of a collision with another vehicle, uninsured motorist coverage can be granted. A dedicated legal professional at Whetstone Perkins & Fulda is available to review all possible options for securing you the compensation you need and deserve. Call today.