Content reviewed by:
Alex Shulman
When a driver leaves the scene of a crash, you may be left wondering who will pay for your treatment. You may still have options after a hit-and-run accident, even if police have not identified the vehicle.
At Shulman & Hill, we help injured people understand their rights after drivers leave the scene. A hit and run lawyer in Poughkeepsie can evaluate available insurance coverage and explain what evidence your personal injury claim may need.
Our car accident lawyer in Poughkeepsie can help you recover compensation. We have over 200 years of combined experience.
What to Do After a Hit and Run in Poughkeepsie
Move out of traffic if you can do so safely, call emergency services, and request medical assistance when needed. Do not chase the fleeing driver. Tell responding officers that the other driver left the scene without providing information, which is a violation of New York Vehicle and Traffic Law §600 and can carry serious criminal consequences.
Record what you remember while details are fresh, including the vehicle’s color, make, damage, direction of travel, and any portion of its license plate. Hit-and-run collisions occur frequently along busy Poughkeepsie corridors such as Route 9, Route 44, and I-84, where high speeds and heavy traffic can make it difficult to identify a fleeing vehicle.
Get medical attention promptly, even if you initially feel able to manage the pain. Keep discharge instructions, receipts, and correspondence together. Our personal injury lawyer in Poughkeepsie can help you take the next steps.
Our Hit and Run Lawyer in Poughkeepsie Can Gather Evidence
A missing license plate number does not necessarily end the investigation. Eyewitness statements, nearby surveillance footage, dashcam recordings, and pieces of a damaged vehicle may help narrow the search. Video may be overwritten quickly, so waiting for a complete police investigation can put useful evidence at risk.
Keep the police accident report number and provide investigators with any new information you receive. Finding the vehicle is only part of the process: evidence must also establish a basis for holding the driver or another party legally responsible and show how the crash caused your injuries.
Our hit and run lawyer in Poughkeepsie can help you gather the right evidence to build a strong case.
No-Fault PIP Benefits After a Hit and Run
New York’s no-fault system may provide benefits for necessary medical expenses and a portion of lost earnings without requiring you to prove another driver caused the crash. Basic personal injury protection, or PIP, generally provides up to $50,000 per eligible person for covered economic losses, subject to legal limits and coverage rules.
The correct insurer depends on your role in the collision and the available policies. An occupant generally looks to coverage on the vehicle occupied, while a pedestrian’s options can depend on the striking vehicle and available household coverage.
No-fault PIP benefits do not pay for pain and suffering or vehicle repairs, and insurers require timely notice and supporting documents. Written notice of a no-fault claim is generally due within 30 days of the accident.
Uninsured Motorist Coverage and MVAIC
When a hit-and-run driver cannot be identified, uninsured motorist coverage, commonly called UM coverage, may provide bodily injury compensation. New York auto insurance policies generally include mandatory uninsured motorist protection, but eligibility depends on the policy and accident facts.
If no applicable insurance is available, the Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Corporation, known as MVAIC, may offer another option for qualified claimants. MVAIC is not a substitute for every missing policy, and eligibility requires careful review.
Where you live, your access to insurance, when you reported the crash, and your efforts to identify the vehicle may all affect whether you can proceed through MVAIC. Claims involving unidentified vehicles also generally require physical contact and compliance with strict reporting and filing deadlines.
Compensation and the Serious Injury Threshold
Depending on the claim and coverage available, compensation may address medical costs, lost income, reduced earning ability, and other accident-related losses. Economic losses exceeding New York’s basic economic loss category may be recoverable from a responsible party without meeting the serious injury threshold.
For most people covered by New York’s no-fault framework, recovering pain and suffering damages requires meeting the state’s serious injury threshold, which also generally applies to uninsured motorist bodily injury claims.
Qualifying categories include fractures, significant disfigurement, permanent loss of use of a body organ or member, and medically determined injuries that prevent substantially all usual daily activities for at least 90 of the 180 days following the accident. Our hit and run lawyer in Poughkeepsie can help you recover compensation.
Deadlines That Can Affect Your Claim in Poughkeepsie
Different parts of a hit-and-run case follow different deadlines. Written notice of a no-fault PIP claim is generally due within 30 days of the accident. Standard uninsured motorist provisions generally require reporting the accident to police within 24 hours or as soon as reasonably possible.
A New York negligence lawsuit for personal injuries generally has a three-year statute of limitations, but exceptions and different claim types can change that deadline. Claims involving public entities may require a notice of claim within 90 days. Do not assume that an unidentified driver extends your filing deadline.
Contact Our Hit and Run Lawyer in Poughkeepsie
You do not need to solve the investigation or sort through every insurance provision before seeking guidance. Gather whatever you have: a report number, photographs, medical paperwork, or letters from an insurance adjuster.
Contact Shulman & Hill to discuss your hit-and-run accident and the next steps available to you in a free consultation.