Missouri Hit and Run Accidents
If you’re involved in a “hit and run” accident in Missouri and get caught, your driving record could take a major hit. Depending on who issues the citation, you’ll receive either 6 points (if cited by a municipal or county police officer) or 12 points (if cited by a Missouri State Highway Patrol officer). This is one of the most serious offenses you can have on your driving record, as 12 points is the maximum for any single violation—and earning 12 points within a year results in an automatic one-year revocation of your driver’s license.
That’s why it’s critical to speak with the Kansas City Car Accident Lawyer team at Foster Wallace, LLC if you’re facing hit-and-run charges. Our attorneys understand the long-term impact this can have on your driving privileges, criminal record, and financial future.
Additionally, if a Highway Patrol officer issued the ticket, the offense will remain permanently on your record and cannot be expunged. A hit and run in Missouri may be charged as a Class A misdemeanor—punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine—or escalate to a Class E felony, carrying up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine if there was:
- Property damages in excess of $1,000
- Physical injury to the other party
- This was the second time offense
See RSMo 577.060.
Contact our Kansas city personal injury lawyers now.
In hit and run accidents, the driver who caused the accident has obviously left the scene. For recovery purposes for an injured victim, this means that the at-fault hit and run driver is considered to have no insurance coverage at all even if he or she had an insurance policy. Hit and runs are then considered “uninsured motorist accidents” according to most insurance policies because the victim is unable to obtain the negligent driver’s insurance information. The following elements are required to be met for Missouri drivers who want to make an uninsured motorist claim against his or her own insurance company:
(1) the insured incurred bodily injuries;
(2) the injuries occurred as a result of an accident with an uninsured motorist;
(3) the insured is “legally entitled” to collect from the owner of the uninsured vehicle; and
(4) the limits of all applicable policies are exhausted by payment or settlement.
Just like other accidents, we recommend that if you were in a wreck and the other driver cannot be located because they took off after the wreck, you try to determine if there were any witnesses and get statements and their information, take pictures of the scene and of the damage sustained to your vehicle, write down the details of how the accident happened, and call the police and your insurance company to make a report that you were a victim of a hit and run. Please get legal advice before making any statements involving liability, discussing liability, or sign any documents that your insurance company requests that you sign.
Because you were injured by a hit and run driver, your insurance company is actually adverse to you as your uninsured coverage would have kicked in and they’d be required to pay you for your injuries involved in the wreck. It is advisable that you hire an attorney who can communicate with all insurers on your behalf regarding the “hit and run” wreck.
