Auto Accident Law 101
Two Legal Options If You Are Involved in a Hit-and-Run Accident in Michigan
Everett Cook
If another driver hit your vehicle and drove away without stopping, you have a few different avenues other than litigation through which you can pursue compensation for the damages to your vehicle and to yourself if you live in the state of Michigan. Here are a few of your legal and insurance options if you have been involved in a hit-and-run incident in the state of Michigan.
#1 No-Fault Insurance Benefits
If you are involved in a hit-and-run accident, you can still benefit from Michigan's no-fault insurance. Michigan's no-fault insurance provides personal injury protection. If you have your own insurance policy, you can use the no-fault benefits that you paid for. If you don't have your own insurance policy, you may still be able to benefit from Michigan's no-fault insurance law through your spouse's insurance or through the policy of any other blood relative who lives in the state of Michigan and has a no-fault insurance policy. If you were driving someone else's vehicle, you can access Michigan's no-fault benefits through the owner or registrant's car insurance.
No-fault insurance allows you access to personal injury protection. Personal-injury protection will pay for your medical expenses incurred as the result of the accident. It will also reimburse you for any transportation expenses you incurred driving to and from the doctor's office, hospital, and any rehabilitation centers. You can also be reimbursed for up to 85 percent for any wages that you lose out on as a result of your injury from the accident. Michigan's no-fault personal-injury protection will also pay for any replacement services you now need because of the accident as well as any attendant care that you may need.
If you do not have insurance and were injured in a hit-and-run accident, talk to a personal-injury attorney about who's insurance you could use to access Michigan's no-fault benefits, as they provide numerous benefits for injured accident victims in Michigan.
#2 Uninsured Motorist Coverage
Another way you can receive benefits is through uninsured motorist coverage. You have to have this on your car insurance policy already. In Michigan, hit-and-run drivers are treated as uninsured motorists, and this is what allows you to use this insurance benefit. Uninsured motorist coverage will allow you to receive financial compensation for both your injuries and for any pain and suffering that you experienced due to the accident up to the policy limit of your uninsured motorist coverage. A Michigan personal-injury attorney could assist you with accessing and using this benefit of your insurance policy.
If you are involved in a hit-and-run accident, make sure that you reach out to a personal-injury firm such as Shaevitz Shaevitz & Kotzamanis so that they can assist you with access to all of the insurance benefits that apply to this type of situation.
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After being involved in a serious auto accident with a drunk driver, I struggled heavily with getting the driver's insurance company to open a claim. When the insurance company started pushing back, I knew I needed to do something. I spent a lot of time digging through the laws surrounding auto accident claims so that I knew what my legal rights were. I even talked with an auto accident attorney. I created this site to teach others about what I learned, including my court experience. I hope it helps you to determine how you should proceed with your auto accident case.