For me it was after one of my baseball games when my then-girlfriend and I were eating at a Waffle House; one of the waiters walked in and asked if anyone was driving a silver Toyota to which I raised my hand. The waiter told me that he had just watched a truck run over the front of my car and speed out of the parking lot. I thought he was joking, but he wasn’t. I called the police and they arrived on the scene in what seemed liked seconds. They then apprehended the driver two streets over at a red light drunk and asleep at the wheel. I was one of the lucky ones—I suffered no bodily injuries and the driver that hit my vehicle was caught. The sad reality is that too many victims of hit and run accidents aren’t as lucky as me. Here’s what you need to know if you ever find yourself the victim of a hit and run accident in Mississippi.
Notify the Authorities and Seek Medical Treatment
If you find yourself in either a hit-and-run or a miss-and-run (where another driver runs your vehicle of the road without ever coming into contact with your vehicle), the very first thing you should do is call law enforcement and/or emergency personnel if you or a passenger is injured. Try to give the police as many details as possible about the other driver’s vehicle such as make, model, color, license plate state/county, etc. The more details you give, the better chance the authorities have of tracking down the negligent driver.
What to do if the Driver Isn’t Found or Uninsured
In the event law enforcement cannot locate the fleeing driver, you need to make sure that you take pictures of the accident scene and your vehicle. Take detailed and focused pictures of all four corners of your vehicle including the interior, any scattered debris, skid marks, road signs, and traffic signals. After the wreck, you will need to check your auto insurance policy and see if you have Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage. If the driver is never found or found and not insured, you will not be able to recover for any bodily damage done to you if your policy doesn’t include UM coverage. Mississippi ranks in the top-3 of uninsured motorists percentages in the country with an estimated 23%. That’s nearly 1 in 4 drivers on the road every day in our State. It is crucial that you ensure that you are insured against the uninsured.
Contact the Personal Injury Attorneys at ‘’MAGGIO LAW Today!
If you or a loved one has been injured in a Hit-and-Run Accident in Mississippi, contact the experienced personal injury attorneys at ‘’MAGGIO LAW.