The collision happened so fast you barely had time to react. Maybe someone rear-ended you at a red light on 6th Avenue, sideswiped your vehicle on Highway 31, or ran a stop sign on Moulton Street and T-boned your car. Then instead of stopping, they drove away. Now you’re in the emergency room with injuries, your vehicle is damaged and the person responsible disappeared.
Redstone Arsenal is one of the largest employment hubs in the region, which is why Interstate 565 stays heavily traveled throughout the day. That level of traffic increases the likelihood of crashes and traffic disruptions.
Hit-and-run crashes make an already traumatic situation worse. At Ryan & Rouse, we help Decatur victims track down fleeing drivers and pursue every source of compensation. Our managing partner, Taylor Rouse, won a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision at age 29, proving we know how to hold defendants accountable.
Why Choose Ryan & Rouse for Hit and Run Cases
We Act Fast to Preserve Evidence
Surveillance footage gets deleted, witnesses forget details and physical evidence disappears quickly. We immediately begin investigating to identify the fleeing driver before the trail goes cold. Our experience as a hit-and-run lawyer ensures nothing is overlooked.
Supreme Court Experience Handling Challenging Cases
Taylor Rouse’s 9-0 Supreme Court victory in Thacker v. Tennessee Valley Authority proves we handle complicated legal matters successfully. Hit and run cases often involve multiple insurance sources requiring careful navigation.
We Maximize All Available Compensation
When fleeing drivers can’t be identified, we pursue compensation through your uninsured motorist coverage. We explore every option to ensure you recover what you deserve, which is why clients trust us as their go-to hit-and-run lawyer.
No Fee Unless We Win
We handle hit and run cases on contingency with no upfront costs. You pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.
What Makes Hit and Run Crashes Criminal in Alabama?
Alabama law requires drivers involved in crashes to stop at the scene, provide contact and insurance information, and render reasonable assistance to injured people. Failing to stop is a crime with penalties that increase based on injury severity.
Leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage is a misdemeanor punishable by fines and potential jail time. Hit and run causing injury becomes more serious with harsher penalties. Fatal hit-and-run crashes can result in felony charges. Criminal prosecution helps civil cases by establishing fault and providing evidence we can use in injury lawsuits.
How Our Hit And Run Accident Lawyers Identify Hit and Run Drivers
Finding fleeing drivers requires immediate investigation. We contact Decatur police to obtain information from their investigation, including witness statements and vehicle descriptions. We canvass the area looking for businesses with surveillance cameras that may have captured the fleeing vehicle.
We interview witnesses who may have seen the collision or the fleeing vehicle afterward. We examine your vehicle’s damage to determine what type of vehicle struck you based on paint transfer and impact patterns. We review social media and local news coverage that may lead to tips identifying the driver.
We work with body shops that may see vehicles matching the description coming in for repairs. This immediate investigation often identifies fleeing drivers within days of crashes. The faster we act, the better chance we have of finding the responsible party.
What to Do After a Hit and Run
Call 911 immediately and report the hit and run to the police. Stay at the scene until officers arrive and provide information about the fleeing vehicle including color, make, model, license plate numbers, direction of travel and distinguishing features.
Take photos of your vehicle damage, the accident scene, skid marks and debris. Look for paint transfer indicating the fleeing driver’s vehicle color. Check for broken parts left at the scene that can help identify the vehicle type.
Get contact information from anyone who witnessed the crash or saw the fleeing vehicle. Ask nearby businesses if they have surveillance cameras. Write down everything you remember about the fleeing vehicle and driver while your memory is fresh.
Seek medical treatment right away, even if injuries seem minor. Then call Ryan & Rouse so we can begin investigating immediately.
Using Your Own Insurance When Drivers Can’t Be Found
Alabama law requires insurance companies to offer uninsured motorist coverage, which protects you when hit and run drivers can’t be identified. This coverage treats the unknown fleeing driver as uninsured and pays your medical bills, lost income and other damages.
Uninsured motorist coverage typically matches your liability limits. If you carry $100,000 in liability coverage, you likely have $100,000 in uninsured motorist protection. We handle all communications with your insurer to ensure compliance with policy requirements and protect your right to full compensation.
Your insurance rates should not increase when filing legitimate uninsured motorist claims because you weren’t at fault. Alabama law prohibits insurers from penalizing policyholders for using coverage designed to protect them from uninsured drivers.
What Is Alabama’s Deadline for Filing a Hit-and-Run claim?
You have two years from the hit and run crash date to file injury lawsuits if we identify the fleeing driver. Evidence disappears quickly in hit-and-run cases. Surveillance footage gets deleted or recorded over within days or weeks. Witnesses move away or forget details. The faster you contact our hit and run accident lawyers, the better chance we have of gathering evidence that identifies the fleeing driver.
What Your Hit and Run Case May Be Worth
Hit and run crashes can leave victims with serious injuries, property damage, and financial hardship. Understanding the types of compensation available helps you know what you may recover while holding the responsible driver accountable.
Economic Damages
- Emergency medical treatment and hospitalization
- Surgery, physical therapy, and ongoing care
- Lost income during recovery
- Reduced future earning capacity
- Vehicle repair or replacement costs
- Rental car expenses
Non-Economic Damages
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress after the crash
- Permanent scarring or disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of daily activities
- Impact on relationships with family and friends
The fact that drivers fled the scene doesn’t reduce the compensation you deserve. Our hit and run accident lawyers fight for full compensation reflecting all harm you suffered.
Contact Our Decatur Hit and Run Lawyers Today
Hit and run crashes are stressful and frustrating, leaving you with injuries, car damage, and the anger of a driver who fled. You shouldn’t have to pay for someone else’s recklessness.
At Ryan & Rouse, we combine Supreme Court experience with relentless investigative skills to track down fleeing drivers and fight for your full compensation. Taylor Rouse’s 9-0 Supreme Court win proves we don’t back down from big challenges.
Call us today at (256) 801-1000 or contact us online for a free personal injury consultation. We handle hit and run cases on contingency, meaning you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you. Contact a trusted hit-and-run accident lawyer.