What are the Legal Rights of a Child Injured in a Hit and Run Accident? Issues and Challenges to Recovering Compensation

By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by the Child Injury Lawyer Blog

When a child is injured as a result of a hit-and-run accident, the first and most important thing to do for the child is to obtain medical care and make sure that the child is stabilized care. It can be quite challenging for parents dealing with all the issues in the aftermath of a hit-and-run automobile accident. A number of questions come to mind including the following:

* Why did the driver flee the scene scene of the accident?

* What kind of person runs over a child or hits a vehicle occupied by a child and then takes off?

* Was the at-fault driver drinking or otherwise under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the automobile accident?

* What in the world happened?

* Was the accident avoidable and preventable?

There are myriad of reasons or excuses why a person flees the scene of a crash involving an injured child. However, these are not typically moral or justified choices by the at-fault driver. They are typically selfish choices like the following:

“I was drinking and did not want to get arrested I do not have any insurance.”

“I do not want to face the consequences of this accident.”

“I thought I hit a small animal and not a child.”

Some at-fault hit and run drivers even try to convince themselves that they merely hit some garbage in the road or an unexpected pothole. Some hit and run drivers flee the scene because there is a lack of automobile insurance. This could prove to be a big hurdle for the parents of the injured child to proceed forward on a case that will ultimately result in a financial recovery. Certainly, if a driver is 100 % at-fault for causing injuries to the child, there is a legal case to pursue; however, if there is a lack of available liability insurance OR uninsured motorist coverage – then it may be an uphill battle seeking to actual collect on a case of this nature.

The book titled –When the Wheels Stop Spinning – Legal Rights of the Injured Child – What Parents Need to Know After the Accident – has chapters on Automobile Accidents, Bicycle Accidents, Pedestrian Accidents, and other topics. In the book, hit and run accidents are also covered. You can get this book for free at When the Wheels Stop Spinning.