If you need a Jackson hit and run accident lawyer, the driver who hit you and fled on I-20, I-55, Lakeland Drive, or anywhere else in Hinds County did not disappear as cleanly as he thinks. He left evidence. Paint transfer. Debris. Tire marks. Surveillance footage from businesses along the corridor that recorded his vehicle, his direction of travel, and in many cases his license plate. That evidence exists right now. The problem is that it is on a timer he does not have to manage and you do not know is running. Most commercial camera systems in Jackson overwrite every 24 to 72 hours. MDOT cameras on I-20 and I-55 run similar cycles. The footage that identifies the driver who left you on the side of the road tonight may not exist by the end of the week.

The TV lawyer running ads on Jackson television is not sending a preservation demand tonight. He is at his Destin condo. His secretary will open your file tomorrow morning, enter your name into the system, and put you in the queue. By the time she gets around to requesting footage from the businesses along I-20 near where you got hit, the loop has completed twice and the driver who fled is now impossible to identify from camera evidence alone. The case that was winnable on day one is now a much harder problem on day four. And you will never know what was lost because she never told you it existed.

How Hit And Run Cases Get Solved In Hinds County And Why Speed Is Everything

Hit and run cases are solved with evidence collected in the first 48 hours or they are not solved at all. The Hinds County Sheriff and Jackson Police Department investigate hit and run crashes, but they are managing hundreds of cases and the follow-up on property damage or moderate injury crashes is not always immediate. The camera preservation request that should go out the same night often does not. The canvass of businesses along Old Canton Road or County Line Road to find footage that captured the fleeing vehicle often does not happen in time. The result is a case that could have been solved and was not because nobody moved fast enough.

I send preservation demands the day you call. Not when it is convenient. Not when the secretary’s queue clears. The day you call. That demand goes to every business, traffic camera operator, and government entity with coverage of your crash location. It goes to MDOT for I-20 and I-55 footage. It goes to the private businesses along Lakeland Drive and County Line Road that have exterior cameras pointed at the roadway. It preserves evidence before the loop completes and before the driver who fled becomes unfindable.

Your Own Insurance Policy May Cover A Jackson Hit And Run Even When The Driver Is Never Found

MS requires uninsured motorist coverage on every auto policy unless you rejected it in writing. Under Miss. Code Ann. Section 83-11-101, a driver who flees and cannot be identified qualifies as an uninsured motorist for purposes of your own UM coverage. That means your own insurance company may owe you for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages even if the hit and run driver is never identified. That coverage exists on most MS policies. Your insurance company is not going to call you and volunteer this information. They are going to wait and see what you ask for.

Your own insurance company is not your friend on a UM claim. They are your insurer, which means they have a financial interest in paying you as little as possible just like the at-fault driver’s insurer would. The adjuster who handles your UM claim works for the same company that takes your premium every month. He is still a bookie. He still sets lines designed so the house wins. The fact that you pay him every month does not change his job description when you file a claim. His job is to close your file for as little as the policy and the law require. MS law under Miss. Code Ann. Section 11-7-15 gives him comparative fault to work with. He will use it.

The TV Lawyer’s Unique Failure On Jackson Hit And Run Cases

The TV lawyer’s volume model fails hit and run cases faster than almost any other case type. Hit and run cases require immediate action on evidence preservation, active investigation to identify the fleeing driver, and aggressive handling of both the at-fault driver’s insurer (if found) and your own UM carrier. None of that happens in a volume model built around waiting for an adjuster to call with an offer. There is no adjuster to call. There is no offer coming. The case has to be built from evidence before the evidence is gone, and that work has to start immediately.

His secretary is not conducting a camera canvass on I-20 tonight. She is not sending preservation demands to MDOT for footage of the I-55 corridor. She is not pulling your UM policy to understand what coverage is actually available. She is opening your file, entering your name, and waiting for something to happen. Nothing is going to happen unless someone makes it happen. The TV lawyer is filming his next commercial. If you want a secretary waiting for a call that is not coming on your Jackson hit and run case, he is perfect for you. If you want someone who moves the same night you call, get the book first.

Every Jackson hit and run case I take is covered by the Foster Fair Fee Guarantee. Written proof before we start that you walk away with more than I do. Every case. No exceptions. The full context for MS car wreck law is on the Jackson Car Wreck Lawyer page. The statewide framework is at Mississippi Car Wreck Lawyer. Additional background is on the Resources page.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Jackson Hit And Run Accident Cases

What Should I Do Immediately After A Hit And Run Accident In Jackson MS?

Call the police immediately and stay at the scene. Note every detail you can remember about the fleeing vehicle including color, make, direction of travel, and any partial plate. Get the names and contact information of any witnesses on I-20, I-55, or wherever the crash happened in Hinds County. Photograph the scene, your vehicle, and your injuries. Then call me before you do anything else, because the camera footage that may identify the driver is on a loop that will complete in the next 24 to 72 hours.

Can I Still Recover Damages If The Hit And Run Driver In Jackson Is Never Found?

Yes. Under Miss. Code Ann. Section 83-11-101, an unidentified hit and run driver qualifies as an uninsured motorist under your own policy. Your UM coverage may pay for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering even if the driver who hit you on I-20 or Lakeland Drive is never identified. Your own insurance company will not volunteer this. I pull your policy and identify every dollar of available coverage from day one.

How Long Do I Have To File A Hit And Run Claim In Hinds County?

Miss. Code Ann. Section 15-1-49 gives you three years to file suit in Hinds County Circuit Court. But your UM policy may have its own notice requirements that are shorter. And the camera footage that identifies the driver who fled on I-55 or Old Canton Road disappears in days, not years. The legal deadline and the evidence deadline are completely different clocks. Call me today so I can start preserving evidence before the evidence deadline kills the case the legal deadline would have protected.

Will My Insurance Rates Go Up If I File A UM Claim After A Jackson Hit And Run?

Filing a UM claim after a hit and run in Hinds County should not increase your rates because you were not at fault. MS law protects insureds from rate increases for not-at-fault claims. Your insurance company may try to handle the claim in a way that minimizes their payout regardless. That is their financial interest working against yours. I handle both the investigation to find the driver and the UM claim process to make sure you recover everything the policy allows.

What Evidence Matters Most In A Jackson Hit And Run Case?

Surveillance footage from businesses along I-20, I-55, Lakeland Drive, County Line Road, and Old Canton Road is the most critical evidence and the most time-sensitive. MDOT traffic camera footage of the corridor is also valuable. Paint transfer and debris from the fleeing vehicle can be matched forensically. Witness statements taken immediately while memories are fresh matter more than statements taken weeks later. All of it starts disappearing within hours. I send preservation demands the day you call.

P.S. The camera that recorded the vehicle that hit you on I-20 is on a loop right now. When that loop completes, the footage is gone and the driver who fled may never be identified. Get the FREE book right now and find out what steps to take immediately after a hit and run in Jackson before you lose the evidence that solves your case.

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