Lindale, TX Personal Injury Law Firms & Lawyers

You have to retain a personal injury attorney. Make sure the police know the other person fled the scene. This is a criminal offense. Provide your attorney with all police and accident reports together with the other party's insurance information.

First, file a report with the police if you have not already done so. Then, file a no-fault claim with your insurance company. It doesn't matter that it was the other driver's fault; that's why they call it "no-fault". Notify your insurance company, get a claim number and a benefits application, fill it out right away and send it in. You may not be able to answer every question, such as "amount of medical expenses" if you haven't had any yet, just do the best you can and send it in immediately. Then, get the medical treatment you need. As long as the doctor signs that the treatment is medically necessary and related to the accident, you are covered. You can only recover financially from an injury if you have what is considered a "serious injury" as that term is defined by law. This includes death, miscarriage, fractures, a total disability that lasts 90 days or a permanent partial disability. The injury must be confirmed by objective medical proof such as an x-ray, MRI, CT scan or nerve conduction study.

The other side has made a demand from your insurance carrier. If the incident is relatively minor then there isn't anything to worry about because your insurance limits will most likely cover the claim. However, the insurance carrier is covering their bases saying their legal liability only goes up to the coverage limits and a jury or judge could go crazy and you want to hire your own lawyer to protect your interests.