Table of Contents
What is a Hit-and-Run?
Under Section 84 of the Road Traffic Act (RTA), in the event of an accident, the driver of the vehicle that caused the accident must immediately stop the car. Hitting someone and driving away is called a hit-and-run, hence the term. That refers to disabled cars, too. When you hit and drive a stationary car it is still called a hit-and-run.
If you’ve been involved in an incident like this, or know someone who has it, keep reading to see what you should do after the incident.
What to do on the spot:
When an accident happens, the victim can feel disoriented as the collision quickly happens. Because of this the victim often has no time to process how happened when the accused runs away, much less apprehend the guilty.
Try to take note of the car of the Suspect:
It will be hard to catch the face of the suspect but you can probably capture any part of the vehicle. Whether it’s the color, the make and model, or even better-the number of the license plate, this detail will be useful in finding the culprit.
Take Scene Pictures :
This usually refers to the damage caused to the victim and/or their car, because the guilty party would have left the scene. If you’re the survivor and are not badly injured, take as many videos as you can.If you’re a spectator at the scene, take pictures or videos to help the victim. This will help the survivor with any claims regarding benefits.
Don’t contact the injured victim or move the car:
If you’re a scene witness and the victim seems to be badly injured, don’t try to help him or her. There is a risk that the effects could be compounded by motion. Call the ambulance instead, and let the paramedics handle the situation.
Also, don’t move the car, especially if you pin the victim underneath. Call the police, and report the harm to them.
What to Do After the Accident:
File an Accident Report:
If you are a driver on the road you should certainly have an insurance policy for motor vehicles. If you get into an accident, you must submit a report of an incident to your insurer within 24 hours. You will also be required to report another accident to the police within 24 hours, too.
Recording the incident allows victims to seek their insurer’s insurance, as well as helping investigators find the culprit.
Insurance Claims Process:
Despite their uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, hit and run crash cases will usually be charged under the victim’s vehicle insurance policy. The majority of states need that coverage. Some may cancel deductibles for accidents involving hit and run. In other jurisdictions, compensation for personal injury insurance, coverage for medical payments, or coverage for accidents will help pay for medical costs and repairs to cars.
Nonetheless, if the hit and run driver is known, the claim may continue under the vehicle insurance cover of that person.
Seek medical attention:
More often than not, car accident victims shrug off their injuries after the accident happened. This is not a good practice, necessarily. While on the outside you might feel fine, you might have suffered internal injuries. You should therefore also seek medical attention following the accident. Rather being safe than sorry.
