When drivers get behind the wheel of their car, they expect to follow all traffic safety regulations, drive carefully and arrive home safely. This is not, however, always the case-though one of the most common activities people across the country engage in, it is also one of the most dangerous as many people lose their lives in tragic car crashes. Though nothing can replace the loss an Ohio resident has suffered when they lose someone in an accident, they can hold someone accountable through a personal injury lawsuit and gain compensation that can cover many of the expenses suddenly coming their way. But what happens when the other party, the party that caused the accident, has fled from the scene of the accident?
Many Ohio residents may consider this an open and shut case, but this is not true-there are still a number of steps accident victims can take right after a hit-and-run crash that help them in the long run. Gathering information is key in such an accident and information is fresh right after an accident. Therefore, even though an accident victim or family members may be disoriented or grieving, they should follow a few of the steps mentioned below in order to facilitate discovery of the negligent driver.
The first thing to do is pull over safely-though natural inclination may be to pursue the driver, this is not a wise cause of action. Getting to the side of the road is the top priority, as is alerting the relevant authorities. Even if the accident victim does not have license place numbers, they should still alert the authorities because failure to do so may drag out the insurance company claims.
Gathering evidence and looking for witnesses should be the next priority after a crash. Writing down everything one remembers, taking pictures of the damaged vehicle and the location of the accident and writing down contact information of all people nearby can be incredibly useful in the long run.
It may be difficult to follow all these steps and the trauma of an accident can prevent a person from taking the requisite steps to assert their rights in the future. An experienced attorney may be able to conduct an investigation and gather evidence and accident victims may want to consider consulting one after an accident to understand their rights.
Source: Yahoo Finance, ” 5 Things to do after a hit-and-run,” Accessed on Aug. 16, 2016
