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If I am charged with hit and run will my insurance still cover my damages?
Anonymous3 views3 answers
I was in a single car accident 2 days ago. I hit a light post and since no other vehicles were involved and no one was hurt, I drove away. I did not think I had to report it to police because I was the only car and no one was injured. I made a claim with my insurance after towing but I did not file a police report. My insurance said I may want to file a report in case the pole was damaged but wasn't neccesary that I do so. This is why I haven't made a report yet. With that said, I am not certain if the pole was damaged or not. I haven't been contacted by the authorities, but I am concerned I will be charged with a hit and run if I do report the accident and there was damage to the pole.
Yes, your insurance should cover your damages, assuming you have collision coverage. What you did after the accident is not relevant to your policy coverage, unless you fail to cooperate with your insurance company's investigation of the claim. As for the hit and run issue, causing damage to public property imposes the same obligations on a driver as causing damage to private property. You are legally supposed to notify the owner, and provide your insurance information and contact information. This does not mean you necessarily have to call the police, as the police department is not the owner of the telephone pole. Depending on the jurisdiction, the pole may be MD State Highway Administration property, or possibly County or incorporated city property. Notifying the appropriate agency or department may simply cause them to go out and inspect the pole. Calling the police may also result in your making admissions of guilt, and trigger a citation. Because a telephone pole is unlike unattended private property, in that you cannot simply leave your contact information on a note attached to the property, making an effort to notify the appropriate authority within a reasonable time may provide a reasonably good defense to any subsequent charges of leaving the scene.
Speak with your insurance agent, not the company directly. Post this in the vehicle and traffic section. Your biggest obstacle to coverage will likely be no report.
Sorry about the crash.
You ought to sit down with a Maryland criminal defense attorney to understand the hit and run law in the location of the collision. Most inurance carriers I have worked with (including my former employer!!) would require a police report before covering a claim. I practice law in Colorado and one of our hit and run sections relates to property damage alone -- meaning you can be found guilty of hit and run if you have done property damage to your own property or the property of another (including the state).
Good luck.
Good luck to you.
