Hit and run driver critically injured bicyclist

A hit-and-run driver struck a bicyclist in Florida earlier this week.  The woman was passing through an intersection when she was hit by a pick up truck.  The driver of the pick up truck stopped, looked at the bicyclist, and fled the scene of the accident on foot.  The bicyclist was reported be in critical condition.

One thing that many people are unaware of is that when you are in an accident with a hit and run driver, you can make an Illinois uninsured motorist claim under your own car insurance policy.  This is because the law in Illinois considers hit and run drivers to be uninsured drivers.  Many people do not realize that they can use their uninsured motorist coverage to make a claim for compensation for injuries suffered in a hit-and-run accident even when they are pedestrians, or as here, on their bicycles.

Uninsured motorist coverage is one of the coverages you buy when you obtain full coverage on your car.  As an experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer, I have learned that uninsured motorist coverage provides important protection for you and your family, and this is one of the reasons that we recommend to everyone that they get full coverage when they buy or renew their automobile insurance coverage.

If you do not have full coverage on your vehicle (or even if you do not have a car at all), you may be able to make a claim for uninsured motorist coverage on another person's auto insurance policy if you are a named insured or if the person is a relative that you reside with such as a parent or a sibling.  These are all avenues worth investigating when you are involved in an Illinois car accident with an uninsured motorist.