Hit-and-run accidents have a way of ruining your day. Of course, experiencing any variety of car accident on your daily commute is a very stressful event, but watching the perpetrator speed away from the scene of the crime is a special variety of frustration.
The idea of giving chase may tempt you initially, but this is not a good idea. On the advice of State Farm Insurance, you should absolutely stay put and talk to eyewitnesses if there are any in the area.
Why should I not drive after them?
Driving off after a car accident is illegal. So, the person who drives away from the scene of an accident has already committed a crime. You do not want to commit a crime at the same time in retaliation. Instead, make sure that you move your car out of the road if you need to do so and call 911 if anybody needs emergency medical attention.
If nobody needs attention, you can call the non-emergency number to file a police report like you would in a normal fender-bender accident. You will need the police report to deal with your insurance.
How can eyewitnesses help?
The eyewitnesses can corroborate your story with the police about the hit-and-run. It is also possible, due to the proliferation of smartphone technology, that an eyewitness managed to get a photo of the driver or his or her license plate when the eyewitness saw the accident and realized it turned into a hit and run.
Having this pictorial evidence will help the police locate the culprit quickly.