Keep the Driver There

If you imagine a scenario in which you are hit by a car, you surely don’t think about the prospect of the driver who hit you fleeing the scene. Instead, you likely imagine the driver remaining at the scene, exchanging contact information with the driver, and then both you and the other driver filing a police report when law enforcement officials arrive.

Unfortunately, however, things don’t always play out how you would imagine them to, and it’s important that you know what to do after being hit by a car in Las Vegas. In fact, data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that of all pedestrian deaths that occurred in the country in 2015, 19 percent of those deaths involved hit-and-run drivers.

Which is why if you are hit by a car, keeping the driver at the scene may not be a given. Here are some tips for getting the driver to stick around, and why doing so is important.

Why You Need the Driver to Stay at the Scene

Getting the driver who hits you to stay at the scene of your accident is important for a number of reasons, beginning with the most obvious: if the driver is unidentified, you may not be able to recover compensation from the driver’s insurance company, leaving you without an option for paying for any losses that you have suffered.

But more than just having an insurance company available to pay your medical bills, the driver staying at the scene is important because:

• The driver can provide testimony about what happened;
• The driver can be cross-examined at a later point to find holes in testimony;
• The driver’s vehicle’s electronic control module data can be analyzed;
• Damage to the driver’s vehicle can provide clues about what happened;
• The driver’s cell phone may be viewed to see if it was in use at the time of crash;
• The driver’s blood or breath can be tested to check for intoxication and impairment; and
• Much more

The more information that can be collected from the driver who hits you, the stronger your case may be.

How to Get the Driver to Stay at the Scene of the Accident

In some cases, getting a driver to stay at the scene of an accident is impossible. If you have been hit and are severely injured or unconscious, you may have no choice but to lie there and wait for medical help to arrive.

If you are able to move, however, you should get off of the road and to a safe place as soon as possible. Signal for the driver to do the same. Once it is safe to do so, approach the driver. Ask for the driver’s name, license plate number, driver’s license number, insurance information, and registration information. Write all information down – this will be both very useful, and keep the driver at the scene longer. If the driver shows intent to leave, politely ask them to remain at the scene until the police arrive.

Avoiding Problems

Do not engage in an aggressive manner with the driver if they try to leave. Instead, get as much information as you can that can be used by police to track them down, such as the make and model of their car, the license plate number, and any distinguishing driver features.