Pedestrian killed by hit-and-run driver

An employee of the Department of Agriculture was killed last week in a hit-and-run car accident outside a Washington, DC subway stop.  The man was walking to the subway when he was hit by a car which did not stop.

One thing that many people are unaware of regarding hit-and-run accidents in Illinois is that you may receive compensation for your injuries if you had uninsured motorist coverage on your vehicle.  The law in Illinois deems hit-and-run drivers to be uninsured motorists.  This means that you could make an Illinois uninsured motorist claim with your own insurance company and recover the full amount of the damages you sustained, or in this case, the damages his wife sustained as a result of his wrongful death.

It is important to note that your uninsured motorist coverage would still apply even in a situation such as this, where you are a pedestrian struck by a hit-and-run driver.  The idea behind uninsured motorist coverage is that it puts you in the same position as you would be in had the uninsured driver carried as much automobile liability insurance as you.  Since that driver would have had to pay your damages for hitting you as a pedestrian, your car insurance would have to do the same.