Glendale Hit and Run Accident Lawyer
A serious car crash is a traumatic experience at the best of times. When the other driver involved flees the scene, leaving behind injured people to fend for themselves in order to save their own skin, the experience is all the more terrifying. Fleeing the scene of an accident is illegal and dangerous. It can lead to a delay in medical treatment, causing a victim’s injuries to worsen or even become fatal when they could have otherwise been saved through emergency treatment.
If you or someone you love was hurt by a negligent driver who then fled the scene, you deserve to be repaid for the harm you suffered. The hit and run accident attorneys at McReynolds Vardanyan are ready to fight for your right to compensation for your damages. We will make sure that you get the recovery and the justice that you and your family deserve.
California’s Hit and Run Law
In the State of California, it is illegal to flee the scene of an accident that caused property damage or injury without stopping and exchanging information. A driver involved in an accident must legally do the following:
- Stop and pull over to a safe location
- Locate the owners of other vehicles involved
- Present driver’s license and registration, if asked
- Present current address of the driver and the vehicle owner
- If the owner of the car is not present, leave a note with identifying information
- If someone is injured, the driver must provide reasonable assistance
- If there is property damage or personal injury, the drivers must report the accident to the authorities
If only property damage is involved, then the driver who flees the scene can be charged with a misdemeanor. If someone was injured in the accident, the fleeing driver can be charged with a felony. The State of California takes hit and run accidents very seriously, as should you. If you have been hurt in a hit and run, you are likely entitled to significant compensation.
Punitive Damages
In California, personal injury victims can seek two general categories of damages: compensatory damages (including both economic and non-economic damages) and punitive damages. Compensatory damages are meant to compensate an accident victim for the harm they suffered, to repay them for the money they lost and approximate repayment for the physical and mental toll injuries take. Punitive damages, on the other hand, are meant to punish a wrongdoer for especially egregious conduct. Punitive damages can be two or three times as high as compensatory damages and are collected on top of a compensatory damage award.
Perpetrators of a hit and run, like drunk drivers, are a likely shoo-in for defendants subject to punitive damages. When a driver flees the scene of an accident, they are deliberately leaving behind a car full of people who may be injured. Injured victims will get delayed treatment, especially if the accident victim is unable to call 911 and there are no witnesses nearby. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a hit and run accident, especially if you suffered additional harm due to a delay in treatment, then you have a strong claim for punitive damages.
Trusted Advice and Representation for Southern California Hit and Run Accident Victims
If you or a loved one has been injured in a hit and run accident in Los Angeles or Southern California, give us a call. Our Southern California car accident lawyers are ready to hear from you. Contact our Glendale office at 818-855-2115 for a free consultation. We will investigate your claims and work to make sure that you get the recovery you are owed. Our passionate, effective, and trial-ready pedestrian accident attorneys are ready to meet you and meet your needs.