Hit and run
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Orlando attracts millions of tourists. The city has many world-class amusement parks, such as Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando, Walt Disney World Resort, and more. All of these parks have a good road infrastructure. Unfortunately, however, road incidents are a common occurrence. More often than not, the situation is such that a hit-and-run accident has dire consequences for everyone involved. An Orlando hit-and-run accident lawyer can be of invaluable assistance in dealing with this problem, as they can thoroughly research the situation and help take the right steps when dealing with insurance companies and jury trials.

Florida Law on Orlando Accidents

Title VIII, Chapter 95 of the Florida Statutes applies to incidents in Orlando. This document governs the standards related to the settlement of hit-and-run claims. The Florida Statutes require that claims against insurers from your Orlando hit-and-run accident lawyer can be filed within four years.

Common Causes of Orlando Hit-and-Run Car Accidents

According to official statistics, the following factors are the most common causes of hit-and-run accident in the Orlando area:

Speeding. About 67% of all drivers exceed the speed limit and 31% of them have been in at least one incident.
Distracted driving. About 10% of all Orlando hit-and-run accidents involve distracted driving—talking on the phone, texting, studying the car’s onboard computer, etc. In recent years, cyclists have fallen into this category.
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Every year, many drivers operate a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Quite often, the outcome is lethal.
Driving a car at night. Fatigue and failure to maintain speed limits at night are the leading causes of incidents. Before indicating the likelihood of compensation, our attorneys look closely at the circumstances of the accident.
Terrible and dangerous road conditions. Bad weather conditions, poor road conditions—these are the problems faced by about 4% of drivers who seek help from our lawyer.

Have You Been Injured in a Hit-and-Run Accident?

What should you do if you have been involved in a hit-and-run in Orlando? It is important to report the accident to the police or call 911 as soon as possible. To get the help of a quality, professional Orlando hit-and-run attorney, there are several important things to do.

Call 911 to report a hit-and-run incident. Wait for the police officer to arrive and prepare an accident report. The officer’s report should contain important details that will be the determining factors in whether or not you are found guilty in a hit-and-run accident in Orlando
Gather the necessary evidence to help Orlando hit-and-run accident attorneys defend your rights against the insurers or the court. Take pictures of the incident scene if possible, and also take video footage. Gather the contact information of witnesses and parties to the incident.
Contact an Orlando hit-and-run accident lawyer for an initial consultation on how to proceed. Over the phone, you will receive detailed instructions on how to deal with the accident participants, insurer, police, and doctor.
See a doctor so that they can document your medical condition. Do this within 14 days of the accident. The doctor will prepare a medical report and develop a treatment and rehabilitation program. The lawyer will then help receive compensation for medical bills.
Refuse the services of an insurer that offers you an initial hit-and-run settlement. In this case, if you sign the agreement, the insurer will give limited compensation and you will not be eligible to claim other hit-and-run benefits in Orlando.

Your first actions following the hit-and-run will determine the success of the lawyer who will represent your case in court and with the insurer.

How to Get Charged With Leaving the Scene of an Accident in Orlando

To calculate compensation in a hit-and-run case, Florida has a modified comparative fault rule. The law does not prohibit another party, who may have a high degree of fault in the incident, from suing you. In this case, a comparative proportional admission of fault will be determined and used to set compensation amounts. Our hit-and-run accident lawyer recommends that you carefully document all of the circumstances of the accident so that you can receive compensation.

A comparative degree of fault might look like this.

Expect to receive $380,000 in compensation.
Degree of fault is 15%.
Receive compensation of $323,000.
If the degree of fault is greater than 50%, will receive no compensation.

A police officer’s report will not be enough to properly determine the degree of guilt. Orlando hit-and-run accident attorneys at our law center bring in independent experts who examine, in detail, all the circumstances of the accident. Then, based on the attorneys’ expert opinions, a claim is filed against the insurer or other party to the accident.

What Happens if Someone Hits Your Car and Keeps Driving?

If you are the victim of a hit-and-run, our lawyer recommends that you take the following steps.

Take pictures of the car and incident scene.
Call 911 to report the hit-and-run. Inform the operator that the driver has left the scene of the accident. Provide the license plate number and the vehicle’s color and make. Officers will then begin a search for the other person involved in the accident, and a traffic officer will come to your location to file a hit-and-run accident report.
Contact your hit-and-run accident lawyer by phone and get instructions on your next steps.

It is important to remember all the details. If there are witnesses to the incident, be sure to write down their contact information, which will help a professional hit-and-run accident attorney objectively investigate the case.

FAQs

We’ve compiled the most popular questions and answers here. Our Orlando hit-and-run accident lawyer can help choose the right strategy to pursue if an accident occurs.

Is a Hit-and-Run Covered by Insurance?

It depends on what type of insurance you have. Not all insurances will cover you, it depends on policy. In any case, it is recommended that you immediately contact a lawyer, who will help choose the right strategy.

What Should I Do if I Hit an Unattended Car?

In this case, call the 911 operator. Then take a picture of the impacted area and wait for the police to arrive. Next, report the collision to your insurance company. However, it is not recommended that you sign pre-trial settlement documents, as you don’t know your percentage of fault. In this situation, there is a modified degree of fault determination for compensation. Please contact our lawyer to get instructions for next steps.

Why Do Drivers Leave the Scene of a Car Accident?

There are a variety of reasons:

The driver does not have a license;
The driver who caused the accident does not have insurance;
At fault driver of the accident is afraid of going to jail;
The driver was drunk, under the influence of drugs, etc.

In any case, liability will not be removed from the driver because he committed a hit-and-run. On rare occasions, the driver will leave the scene if it is necessary to take the injured person to the hospital. After the driver has taken the victim to the doctor, however, the driver is obliged to return to the scene of the incident.

What Should I Do After a Hit-and-Run Accident?

The algorithm of action is very simple. The main condition is that you should not leave the scene of the incident; otherwise, all the facts may be directed against you. Our hit-and-run accident attorneys recommend the following:

Call 911 with information about the incident;
If someone is injured, give that information to the emergency operator;
Wait for a police officer to arrive and to fill out a report;
Make sure you have the contact information for all parties and witnesses;
After the report has been filled out, we recommend to go to the doctor for an examination (even if you were at fault in the accident);
Call a hit-and-run accident lawyer for instructions on your next steps.

How Common Are Hit-and-Run Accidents?

According to official statistics, hit-and-runs account for approximately 12% of all car accidents in Orlando. Overall, the statistic for the State of Florida is as high as 14-15%. Before 2015, the percentage was as high as 20% statewide. Currently, the law is stricter regarding this offense. If you are involved in, or responsible for, this situation, hit-and-run accident attorneys can help you take the right steps forward.

What Is the Difference Between Leaving the Scene and a Hit-and-Run Accident?

If you are involved in a hit-and-run accident in Orlando, and you leave the scene of the accident, your degree of fault will increase during the hearing, even if the vehicle suffered only minor damage. However, if a hit-and-run accident is recorded, but you did not leave the accident scene, the degree of fault is determined by the actual situation. Increased liability can face a driver who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If the incident stemmed from a variety of circumstances, fault is determined by the modified Florida comparative fault scale. Seek help from our attorneys regarding your next steps.

Can I Make a Hit-and-Run Claim as a Pedestrian or Bicyclist?

If you are riding a bicycle or are a pedestrian and are involved in a hit-and-run in Orlando, you have the right to claim that you are the injured party, even without being informed by the driver of the motor vehicle. Our lawyer recommends that you take photos and video of the accident so that the at-fault party can be determined. In addition, we recommend that a pedestrian or cyclist seek help from a doctor, who will record their state of health after the incident. In the future, depending on your health, you may be able to get payments and compensation from the insurance company or the party at fault in the accident.

Should I Press Charges in a Hit-and-Run?

Charges can be filed only by a prosecutor or investigator on the grounds of a police officer’s report. However, the law does not prohibit you from pressing charges in a hit-and-run in Orlando if one of the people involved in the incident left the scene before the police officer arrived. In this situation, you must document the escape with photos and video, including the use of cell phones. Our lawyer recommends that you contact him and give him the information. You will then be instructed on your next course of action.

Can I Be Charged With a Hit-and-Run if There Is Little or No Damage to the Property?

In some situations, such as minor or insignificant damage to vehicles and no threat to life and limb, the parties in the accident can mutually resolve the issue. Our attorneys have seen cases in which the parties did not go to court and instead resolved the issue through their insurance companies. In any case, the lawyer recommends that the parties sign an agreement at the scene of the accident so that there will be no questions in the future. You can call a lawyer, who will advise you on how to properly execute the settlement agreement documents involving the parties to the incident.

Understanding Your Options After a Hit-and-Run Accident

Remember, with a hit-and-run accident, you can file claims for economic or non-economic damages within four years. A hit-and-run accident lawyer can help determine the actions to take to assert your rights. It is not uncommon for a police officer to unreasonably file charges against you, indicating that you caused a hit-and-run accident. Attorneys at our law firm have repeatedly defended the interests of parties who have been unreasonably deemed to be the culprits. The lawyer’s work also involves an independent expert examination in which the police officer’s report is studied to reveal the scale of guilt of one party or another. Our attorneys have also encountered cases in which the police officer incorrectly calculated the degree of guilt, and sometimes overstated or understated in favor of one party or the other.

Pictures and video footage allow us to paint the real picture of the case at the time of the hit-and-run collision. An important factor in determining a modified degree of guilt is testimony from an eyewitness who was not involved in the incident. Our attorneys recommend that you gather contact information from witnesses after the incident. This will allow you to determine the actual modified degree of culpability.

Pedestrians and bicyclists can also be unwitting victims or participants (witnesses) in a hit-and-run. If they are the injured parties, they can contact attorneys and get help in developing a claim against the at-fault insurance company.

Free Case Evaluation

Our attorneys will never take money from you until the case has gone to trial and you have received compensation from the insurance company or the state (in the case of Orlando authorities being found guilty). Do you have a hit-and-run case and are not sure whether the outcome will be in your favor? If so, contact our lawyer, who will offer a free assessment of the case’s likely outcome. After you win your case, pay the lawyer. The amount paid depends on the outcome. The lawyer’s fee will be based on the amount won, as well as other factors affecting the outcome.

Your initial consultation with a lawyer is completely free.

Thereafter, the Orlando lawyer fee will be based on the amount of the winning case:

Thirty-three and one-third percent (33 1/3%) of any recovery up to one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) up to the time of filing an answer or request for the appointment of arbitrators;
Forty percent (40%) of any recovery up to one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) through the trial of the case:
Thirty percent (30%) of any recovery of one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) or two million dollars ($2,000,000.00);
Twenty percent (20%) of any recovery exceeding two million dollars ($2,000,000.00).

References and Resources:

Orlando Police Department

Orlando Fire Department

Orange County Courts

Orlando real-time traffic information

Florida Department of Insurance