Chicago Personal Injury Law Blog

A Burbank man was killed following a hit-and-run accident Sunday evening. He was riding his bike down the 6300 block of 87th Street when he was hit by a pick-up which did not stop. He was thrown from his bike and left unconscious in the street. He was pronounced dead early on Monday.

When you are involved in an accident with a hit-and-run driver, your means of obtaining compensation for your injuries is through an uninsured motorist claim through your own insurance. Uninsured motorist coverage is one of the coverages you obtain when you buy full coverage for your own vehicle.

Under the law, the hit-and-run driver is considered an uninsured vehicle, which means that your insurance company would step into the shoes of the hit-and-run driver and pay the compensation you are due for the injuries sustained in the car crash, up to the policy limits.

The scope of coverage for uninsured motorist coverage can be quite broad, depending on how the policy is written. Many policies cover injuries sustained by resident relatives of the person holding the policy, so when you are injured in a car accident, you may be able to obtain compensation through the insurance policies covering other vehicles in your household.

Making an uninsured motorist claim can be complex, so I would strongly recommend hiring an experienced personal injury attorney in Chicago if you become involved in hit-and-run accident where there are serious injuries or a wrongful death.

Labels: Car crashes, hit and run accidents, underinsured motorist claims, wrongful death