Miami, FL- Two recent traffic accidents in the Miami area left two people dead. Both of those crashes involved drivers who fled the scene.
Separate Hit-and-Run Accidents Kill Two around Miami
Two hit-and-run accidents in the Miami area over the past two weeks have left two people dead and police asking for help locating the drivers responsible for each accident.
The first accident occurred on June 26, 2017, in Davie. NBC reports that a man was hit by a red car as he was attempting to cross the road with a couple of friends. A witness told NBC that the man appeared to be intoxicated when he attempted to cross the road with two friends. The other two men made it across with no problem, but the third many were hit by a driver who fled and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The second accident left a tourist dead in Fort Lauderdale while he was standing by his car on East Las Olas Boulevard as he attempted to take a photograph. The man, who is originally from New Jersey, was hit by a driver who fled the scene, according to the Miami Herald.
In both cases, police are still trying to locate the driver.
Are Hit-and-Run Crashes Common in Florida?
Sadly, hit-and-run crashes are rising across the U.S. but have remained consistent in Florida. National Highway Traffic Administration data shows that fatal hit-and-run accidents increased 13.7 percent nationally between 2009 and 2013. As for Florida, the state Department of Highway Safety and Motors Vehicles, 25 percent of accidents are caused by hit-and-run drivers.
Both of the accidents mentioned above involved pedestrians. That is line with AAA data which shows that six out of ten fatal hit-and-run victims are pedestrians.
There are many reasons drivers flee the scene of an accident but doing so can have severe consequences. Whether a driver flees because they have no insurance, they are drunk or just scared; it is a second-degree felony to leave the scene of any accident whether it involves injuries or not. A conviction for hit-and-run carries a four-year jail sentence.
How Do I Recover Compensation if I’m in a Miami Hit-and-Run Driver?
When police are unable to locate a hit-and-run driver, the victim is unable to hold that driver accountable, but that doesn’t mean they cannot recover compensation. In such cases, a victim will have to deal with their insurer.
Under Florida law, all drivers are required to have car insurance to cover their accident-related expenses if an at-fault driver cannot be located. But medical care is expensive, and an insurance company may not offer a victim the amount of compensation they need. If you want to file an injury claim, let USAttorneys.com connect you with an accident lawyer in Miami. You will benefit from the negotiation skills of a lawyer, so we recommend you set up a consultation today.
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Separate Miami-Area Hit-and-Run Crashes Kill Two
