Texas Hit and Run Drivers that Flee Injury Accidents Harm Everyone

On Saturday, KABB Fox San Antonio reported that a motorcycle rider was critically injured after he ran into a car at O’Connor near Weidner on the overpass. Our Galveston accident lawyers note that the biker suffered serious head injuries and was flown to University Hospital. Police said they thought that the motorcycle rider might have been hit by another car before crashing. But apparently that hit and run driver fled the scene, leaving the motorcycle rider and any other victims to deal with their pain unaided.

Hit and run accidents that seriously injure motorcycle riders, pedestrians, and other vehicle occupants and their property remain alarmingly frequent around our state. Yet Texas law provides severe penalties for those who cause an accident and then try to flee from their responsibility.

Our Galveston accident lawyers emphasize that if a person fails to stop and leaves the scene of an accident after a vehicle crash involving injury, death, or even property damage, that person could be charged with crimes ranging from misdemeanors to major felonies, depending upon the severity of the accident.

If you’re the victim of a hit and run accident, physical evidence left at the scene, video and camera surveillance images from at or near the scene, eyewitness accounts, and other reports could help the police to find the driver that injured you. Paint left behind on other wrecked vehicles, pieces of vehicle lights and other parts, license plate numbers, descriptions of drivers and vehicle occupants might all help track down your reckless driver. Sometimes others will notice the new damage on the driver’s car and link him or her to the accident reports.

Our Galveston accident lawyers list the Texas criminal penalties that can be filed against your hit and run driver below:

• A driver that leaves the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury or death might be convicted of a 3rd degree felony, which is punishable by 2 to 10 years in state prison.
• A driver convicted of the felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident that caused a non-serious injury could receive one year in jail or up to 5 years in state prison, along with a $5,000 fine.
• A hit and run accident that causes damage to an occupied vehicle is a Class C misdemeanor resulting in a fine of up to $500 if the damage to all vehicles is less than $200. The charge becomes a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 6 months in a county jail if the damage is greater than $200. (The same penalties apply for hitting a parked car and then fleeing the scene and for damaging fixtures or landscaping without stopping or reporting the accident.)
• A conviction on hit and run charges could also result in the suspension of the negligent driver’s license, especially if the accident resulted in serious injury or death.

But a criminal conviction is not the only penalty that faces the irresponsible hit and run driver that tries to escape responsibility for their crimes. You could also file a claim in civil court for the full financial value of your losses from the accident.

Our experienced Galveston accident lawyers could help you win the full financial recovery to which you’re entitled by your injuries and losses. Your monetary award could include the value of your medical expenses, costs of future medical care, the value of your pain and suffering, lost wages, amounts for disfigurements or disabilities caused by the accident, vehicle damage, and wrongful death amounts of you tragically lost a close family member to the wreck.

The experienced Galveston accident lawyers at Denena & Points could help guide you along available avenues for legal compensation and your prospects for financial recovery. Learn more by clicking on this article regarding what you can do after a hit and run driver injures you. Contact us today for a free initial consultation.