Austin Woman Seriously Injured In Hit-and-Run Auto Accident Has Several Options to Cover Medical Bills
An Austin woman suffered severe injuries as a result of a double hit-and-run collision over the holiday weekend.
A report by KXAN says Valencia Lock was riding in a car on I-35 near the St. Johns exit shortly before 3 a.m. on July 5 when her vehicle was struck from behind, and the other driver sped off. Valencia got out to examine the damage. As she was getting back into the car, a second car crashed into her, causing severe injuries. That driver also fled the scene.
21-year old Valencia is now hospitalized with broken legs, a broken collar bone, a dislocated shoulder, and multiple serious lacerations and abrasions. Police are investigating, and the family is pleading with the responsible drivers to come forward. In the meantime, Valencia and her family are left wondering how her mounting medical bills will be paid.
Luckily, Valencia has several options for paying medical bills as a result of this collision.
In the best case scenario, police will be able to identify one or both of the drivers who hit Valencia, and there will be enough liability auto insurance to cover her medical bills and future care.
If police locate the drivers, but there isn’t enough insurance to cover Valencia’s medical bills, she can then explore coverage under her Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist (UIM) policy. UIM is an elective coverage that provides payment if the insured driver is hit by an uninsured or underinsured driver, and is often used as a primary source of insurance in hit-and-run cases where no liability insurance policy can be identified. If Valencia was a passenger in someone else’s vehicle, she can make a claim against the vehicle owner’s UIM policy, as well as her own UIM policy.
If neither Valencia nor the driver of her vehicle carried UIM, she must then rely on health insurance, charitable write-offs by the hospital and medical providers (if available), and paying medical bills out of pocket.
In hit-and-run cases, a skilled legal team is an important resource for exploring every possible avenue of financial assistance for the victims. At the Loewy Law Firm, we conduct thorough investigations to locate witnesses and potential defendants, identify and make claims against applicable insurance policies, maximize settlements, and assist in obtaining waivers or reductions on medical bills.
If you think you may need help navigating a serious injury in a hit-and-run case, please call the Loewy Law Firm at (512) 280-0800 for a FREE consultation.