When a driver loses control of their vehicle and crashes into someone or runs a red light and causes an accident, usually the first thing that happens is for the drivers of the vehicles to check on one another and exchange insurance information while waiting for police.
Unfortunately, some people will do just about anything to avoid the consequences of their own behavior. While Colorado law requires that those involved in a crash that leads to injury or property damage stop and report the incident to police, some people will attempt to drive away from the scene of the accident.
If you get hurt or suffer substantial property damage in a hit-and-run crash caused by someone else, who will cover your financial losses?
Uninsured driver protection can help in a hit-and-run scenario
Uninsured and underinsured driver protection expands what coverage your insurance policy provides to you. Most of the coverage that you pay for is liability protection. Your policy will pay for damage that you caused to someone else’s vehicle and to medical costs if you cause a crash where someone gets hurt.
Uninsured and underinsured driver protection can cover costs for drivers involved in a crash with a driver who either doesn’t have active insurance on their vehicle or who doesn’t have enough insurance to cover all of the costs that the crash creates. Those same protections will also apply in a situation where a driver leaves the scene of a crash. If you have uninsured driver protection, your policy may cover some of the costs from the collision.
If police catch the other driver, you could bring a claim or a lawsuit
If you, other witnesses or nearby traffic or security cameras capture vehicle information that helps to identify the other vehicle, police might locate the hit-and-run driver. You could bring a claim against their insurance if they have any.
People who flee the scene of a crash may do so because they know they broke the law by driving without a license or driving without insurance. They could be in a stolen vehicle or driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
All of these, as well as the act of leaving the scene of a crash, constitute wrongful acts. Those legally questionable decisions on the part of the other driver open them up to civil lawsuits in the event that they don’t have insurance or don’t have enough of it when they cause a serious collision.
