Driver Flees The Scene: Leaves Badly Injured Pedestrian. Do You Have Uninsured Motorist Coverage?

Drivers involved in auto-pedestrian vehicle accidents are required, by law, in most states, to stay at the scene of the accident and render aid. In this case, the driver left the scene after hitting a pedestrian and left her for dead. The police have good information that will likely lead to the arrest and charging of the driver.

What happened here is that a 44-year old woman was attempting to cross the southbound lanes of US 19 in Florida, when she was hit by a compact SUV just as she reached the center lane. The vehicle fled the scene without stopping. The woman sustained some very serious injuries and was airlifted via medi-copter to the nearest hospital.

When the woman is able to speak to a personal injury attorney, she will likely be filing a personal injury lawsuit. By that time, the police will have tracked down the hit and run driver as well and the attorney will know who to serve. Assuming that the hit and run driver is not found, Lawsuit Financial hopes that the unfortunate victim was wise enough to secure uninsured motorist coverage from her own insurance company. This valuable and inexpensive coverage insures accident victims who are injured by uninsured or unlocated hit and run drivers. Coverage limits should be purchased for the highest limits available (or, at least to the same limits to which you would insure yourself if you happen to be the negligent driver). Policyholders can also purchase underinsured motorist coverage to protect themselves if they are injured by someone who has minimal insurance. With this coverage, their own carrier picks up the difference between the value of an injury and the amount of the negligent party’s insurance (up to the limits you purchase-again, it is our strong advice that you purchase as much as you can afford).

Our unfortunate accident victim in this case may have permanent disabilities as a result of being hit by the SUV and may need long-term assistance to live a reasonably normal life. She will definitely have some fairly huge medical expenses relating to her stay in hospital. She is, most likely, missing work, and her ordinary expenses will be difficult to cover while she recovers from her injuries. Whether or not she can pursue the negligent party, because he/she is found, or whether she pursues the case as an uninsured motorist case, lawsuit funding is a service that she may want to consider. If she qualifies, her ordinary and/or extraordinary expenses can be made by a lawsuit funding company while she awaits settlement or verdict in the case.

The lawsuit funding company would step in, pay current and future bills and expenses, and permit the plaintiff to wait for case resolution without worry about how the bills will be paid. A lawsuit cash advance relieves the plaintiff of the grinding stress or worry over where the money will come from to pay the doctors, the mortgage, tuition, food and car expenses. And, most importantly, with lawsuit funding, the plaintiff doesn’t need to agree to an unreasonably low or unfair settlement because they need money right away. In the right situation, for the right plaintiff, lawsuit funding is clearly a service that plaintiffs and personal injury attorneys should consider at a strategic time in the litigation.