Choose a Philadelphia Hit-and-Run Lawyer to Fight on Your Behalf

Thousands of road accidents happen on Pennsylvania roads every year. In the majority of cases, the parties involved swap details and reach an arrangement regarding the coverage of expenses arising from the accident. Not always, though.

Despite the fact that it’s a criminal offense to leave the scene of a crash without exchanging information with other parties, people do it regularly. If you can’t find or identify the at-fault driver after they flee the scene, it may not be possible to recover compensation related to the accident.

If you’ve been the victim of a hit-and-run driver, don’t panic. Hiring a top-class road accident lawyer may be the first step toward securing justice and getting your life back on track.

What Are the Rules on Hit-and-Run Accidents in Pennsylvania?

There are a number of actions drivers must, by law, take following a road accident that causes personal injury or damage to property. These are:

  • Providing personal identification and insurance details to all other road users involved in the accident.
  • Rendering assistance to anyone who needs it, such as by contacting emergency services.

It’s important to note that these rules apply regardless of whether you’re at fault for the accident. Even if someone else was entirely to blame for your collision, you must still stay around to exchange your information with the other party (or parties), or you may end up being guilty of an offense.

Why Choose The Cochran Firm as Your Philadelphia Hit-and-Run Lawyer?

At The Cochran Firm in Philadelphia, we treat clients as people, not mere case files.

Part of the reason why our firm is so effective is that we’re never afraid to pursue a case until it reaches the best possible conclusion for the client. Many road accident firms operate as “settlement mills,” trying to take on as many clients as possible and concluding their cases quickly to make as much money as they can. Many firms like this won’t even touch hit-and-run cases, because they tend to take longer and come with a lower chance of success.

At The Cochran Firm, our priority is you. We’ll work to find the at-fault driver in your case for as long as it takes. Once we apprehend them, we’ll fight your case for as long as we have to in order to get a good result. If that means we need to take the matter to court, that’s what we’ll do.

Additionally, we make sure our service goes beyond legal representation. We’ll be here to support you emotionally throughout your journey, and to ensure you are clear on the hit-and-run claims process from beginning to end.

Collecting Information Following a Hit-and-Run Accident

The minutes, hours, and days that follow a car accident may be some of the toughest of your life, especially if the at-fault driver flees the scene without sharing their information. However, it’s critical that you try to stay composed despite the stress you’re under. The actions you take during this period will have a huge bearing on the outcome of any insurance claim or lawsuit you decide to pursue in relation to the incident.

Your ability to collect information about the at-fault driver will be dictated by how long they spend at the scene after the accident. If you suspect they’re preparing to flee, you should start making a mental note of details that could be useful later, such as:

  • The driver’s physical features, particularly any distinguishing characteristics (such as tattoos).
  • A description of the other vehicle. Again, distinguishing features (such as damage) may be particularly valuable here.
  • The license plate number of the other vehicle.
  • The specific time and location where the hit-and-run occurred.
  • A summary of what led to the accident, such as the directions in which you were both driving when the hit-and-run occurred.
  • The direction the driver took when they fled, noting if they immediately turned off on another street.

There’s an important caveat here; you shouldn’t overtly record the other driver’s information if they’re acting erratically or if you feel there’s any risk they might attack you. Your safety is of the utmost importance.

Take Pictures and Videos

Try to get pictures and videos of the other vehicle before it leaves the scene. Take plenty of photos of your own vehicle, and take a video while walking around it to capture all of the damage. Take pictures of any skid marks left by you or the other driver.

Talk to Any Potential Witnesses

If other drivers or pedestrians saw what happened, write down their contact information and what they saw. Look around to see if there are road crews or other workers in the area who may have also witnessed the accident.

Try to Collect Video from Other Sources

According to Grand View Research, the global market for dashcams is projected to grow at a compounded annual rate of 9.6% between 2024 and 2030. These cameras are becoming increasingly common in cars and trucks, and the footage they provide can be instrumental when it comes to tracking down hit-and-run drivers. If you don’t have a dashcam yourself, another driver on the road near you at the time of your accident may have one and be able to help.

Additionally, businesses around your accident scene may have security footage that captured what happened. Talk to all the business owners and homeowners in the area to ask if they have security cameras and are willing to share their footage.

You will need other evidence (police reports, hospital records, and insurance company correspondence) to support your insurance claims or lawsuit. Your hit-and-run attorney can help you gather it.

Call the Police

You should call the police following any car accident, but it’s particularly important to do so in the case of a hit-and-run. You’ll need a police report to submit to your insurance company, and the officers on the scene may be able to give you useful information about your accident.

Should I File an Insurance Claim or a Car Accident Lawsuit?

After a car accident of any kind, your first priority when seeking compensation should be an insurance claim. However, there are some circumstances in which you may need to take things a step further by filing a lawsuit.

Pennsylvania is a no-fault insurance state. So, no matter who is to blame for an accident, your insurance company should cover expenses like wage loss and medical bills, up to the limits of your policy. If you reach these limits, you can try to recover the balance of your compensation from the other driver’s insurance company.

If this isn’t possible via the claims process, you may need to sue the company to try to get the compensation you need. You may also need to sue your own insurer if it doesn’t pay out on your claim.

Talk to Our Philadelphia Hit-and-Run Accidents Lawyer Before You Talk to the Insurance Company

Insurance companies sometimes ask victims to sit down for recorded interviews. These interactions are presented as a routine part of the claims process; in reality, they’re a carefully crafted minefield for accident victims. Your insurance company will ask questions designed to trip you up and entice you to share information that will damage your claim.

For this reason, it’s always safest to consult with your attorney before any insurance company interaction. You should allow your lawyer to take care of this type of communication on your behalf wherever possible.

How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit Following a Hit-and-Run Accident?

The Statutes of Pennsylvania Title 42 Section 5524 dictate that you have two years from the date of a car accident to file a lawsuit for personal injuries. In ordinary cases, this time limit rarely poses a problem. However, it can present challenges in hit-and-run disputes, as it may take some time to track down the at-fault driver.

A court may take your circumstances into account when deciding whether to enforce the statute of limitations. Your hit-and-run attorney can argue that your clock on filing a lawsuit shouldn’t have started ticking until after the other driver was identified.

This is just one of the many potential complications that make the assistance of a good hit-and-run lawyer crucial in these cases.

The Criminal Implications of a Hit-and-Run

As noted earlier, it’s a criminal offense to leave the scene of an accident without sharing your information with the other drivers involved.

However, it’s important to note that any criminal proceeding the state pursues against the at-fault driver in your case will be separate from any lawsuit that you decide to file. It’s possible for a hit-and-run driver to be cleared of wrongdoing in criminal court, but found liable for damages in a civil action.

Frequently Asked Questions

 How much will it cost to hire a hit-and-run accident lawyer? The personal injury lawyers at The Cochran Firm in Philadelphia work on a contingency basis. This means we won’t charge you anything for your case unless you collect compensation. Our fee is calculated as a percentage of your verdict or settlement; the percentage we charge will depend on the length and complexity of your case.

 Can my insurance company raise my rates if I wasn’t at fault in the hit-and-run? If you were not at fault in a car accident, your insurance company shouldn’t raise your rates simply because you collected compensation. If your premium does increase after a hit-and-run that wasn’t your fault, you should consider challenging your insurance company about the situation or switching providers.

 If I was a pedestrian hit-and-run accident victim, who will pay my medical bills? In Pennsylvania, your car insurance provider pays first if you are involved in a hit-and-run as a pedestrian. You can make a claim against the at-fault driver for costs over and above what your insurance covers.

 How does Pennsylvania's comparative negligence law affect hit-and-run accident cases? Pennsylvania follows a comparative negligence rule, meaning that if you are found to be partially at fault for the accident, your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if you are found to be 20% at fault, your total damages will be reduced by 20%. However, you can still recover damages as long as you are not more than 50% at fault for the accident.

Get Help from Our Philadelphia Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyer Today

Hit-and-run accidents can wreak havoc on your life. For the best possible chance of identifying the at-fault driver, recovering compensation, and securing justice, you’ll need to work with an experienced car accident lawyer.

Contact The Cochran Firm today to schedule a free initial consultation. You can call us at (800) 969-4400, or use the contact form on our website.