Hit & Run Accidents

In June 2016, a 26-year-old Bronx resident was killed as he biked to his girlfriend’s home when a car hit him and sped away from the scene. The previous month a man who was reportedly drunk hit a pedestrian near the Bronx Zoo and fled from the scene. The pedestrian was in critical condition following the accident. A hit and run accident is defined as a driver being involved in a car accident and leaving the scene without reporting it. It is against the law to do so. A hit and run accident can involve a car, truck, motorcycle and another vehicle, a vehicle and bicyclist, or a vehicle and a pedestrian. According to statistics issued by the New York Police Department in 2015 there are over 38,000 hit and run accidents in New York City alone each year. Victims of hit and run accidents often suffer serious, life-altering injuries such as a traumatic brain injury, broken bones, contusions, internal injuries, abrasions, or a spinal cord injury. Such injuries are painful and often require expensive treatment and extended recovery time. Fortunately under New York law victims of hit and run accidents are allowed to seek compensation from the person whose negligence resulted in the accident. If you are in need of a New York Injury Lawyer because you or a family member was injured in a hit and run accident, it is important to contact an experienced Bronx Hit and Run Accidents Lawyer who will help ensure that the party responsible for your injuries is held accountable for your losses. In addition, if during the course of the treatment for your injuries your doctor commits medical malpractice, the party responsible for your car accident injuries may be required to compensate you for the medical malpractice injury as well.

Even though hit and run accidents are common New York makes it very clear that under certain circumstances it is illegal to leave the scene of an accident. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law provides:

• A person operating a motor vehicle who knowingly causes property damage must stop and show identification to the victim or to law enforcement.
• A person operating a motor vehicle who knowingly causes personal injury must stop and show identification to the victim or to law enforcement.

While the penalty for leaving the scene of an accident is not particularly stiff, the person responsible for a hit and run and accident can also be held civilly liable for the property damage and personal injury caused.

Victims injured of hit and run accidents often suffer a variety of serious injuries that require expensive treatment and extended recovery time. As a result victims miss work, losing a significant amount of income. In other cases victims suffer permanent injuries so that they are not able to return to work at all. In the most serious cases victims do not survive. Through a personal injury lawsuit or wrongful death lawsuit victims or their family members may be able to recover damages for medical expenses, lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, as well as pain and suffering. If a family member is killed in a hit and run accident, you may be able to pursue damages through a wrongful death claim.

In many cases the person responsible for the hit and run injuries is never apprehended. The victim may still be able to receive compensation through his or her own uninsured motorist insurance. A victim may be able recover compensation from his or her own auto insurance even if the victim was a pedestrian.

If you or a loved one was injured in a hit and run accident, New York law allows you to seek compensation from the person whose negligence caused the injuries. However, hit and run cases can be quite complicated—particularly when the person responsible was never identified. In order to ensure that your rights are protected and proper procedures are followed, it is important that you contact an attorney with experience. The staff at Stephen Bilkis and Associates has extensive experience representing clients injured in vehicle accidents. Contact us at 800.696.9529 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation regarding your car accident.