Successful Hit-and-Run Case
Who will pay for damages? Who will cover the costs of your medical bills? How do you find the driver who hit you? These are just some of the questions to be resolved in a hit-and-run accident case. At Kobren Law., we go beyond the call of duty to thoroughly investigate our client’s accident cases using ingenuity, creativity, and cutting-edge technology. Our goal is to maximize the value of your insurance claim so that you can get the money you need to cover your medical bills, repair costs, lost wages, and more. Contact us today at 561-361-8677 for a free and confidential case evaluation.
Matthew Kobren, Partner, at Boca Raton-based Kobren Law, recently represented an accident victim in a whodunnit hit-and-run case.
“We met our client after he was released from the hospital following surgery to fix his broken femur. He had been the victim of a hit-and-run car crash while he was innocently walking across Federal Highway. There were no witnesses to the crash. The only piece of evidence that was left at the scene was the cover of the side view mirror from the car that hit him,” describes Matthew.
The police tried to investigate this accident. They asked businesses where the crash happened if their surveillance cameras captured the crash but none had. Once they confirmed that there was no video of the crash, the police stopped their investigation. Matthew continues, “All our client had was the police report that listed the side view mirror cover belonging to a dark blue or black Audi as being in the police’s possession.”
The reality is, at this point, most, if not, all other law firms would have given up and turned down the case. Not Kobren Law. Instead of giving up, the team at Kobren Law tried to solve this mystery to help a client that had no auto insurance, no health insurance, and was living paycheck to paycheck with a broken leg.
One of the most stressful situations an auto accident victim can find themselves in is one in which the driver who hit them speeds away without pulling over. Not only does the victim have to deal with being injured, but they don’t have the identity of the person who caused the accident and therefore cannot file a claim through the at-fault party’s insurance company. As experienced car accident attorneys, Kobren Law was able to investigate and guide their client through the process of successfully seeking compensation.
It turned out the side view mirror cover left at the scene of the accident had a part number that allowed Kobren Law to figure out what Audi model the part came from. Kobren Law then filed a Bill of Discovery, which is essentially a lawsuit that gave the firm the ability to subpoena records from other entities to see if they could figure out what Audi vehicle was involved in the crash.
“We subpoenaed records from the local Audi dealerships to find out if they had sold any of these side view mirror covers in the weeks following the crash. Amazingly, one of the local Audi dealerships had sold one of these side view mirror covers to a body shop three days after the crash. We then subpoenaed the records about the side view mirror cover repair work from the body shop which revealed the owner of the Audi. We were able to get the DMV records on this Audi vehicle to see who owned it and where they lived,” explains Matthew.
The Audi involved in the hit-and-run accident was owned by someone who lived just north of the accident site. Based on the car owner’s name and address, “we were able to find information through social media and the DMV that led us to believe the car owner’s son was the primary driver of the Audi. Armed with all of this information, we filed suit against the car owner and his son on behalf of our client,” notes Matthew.
Due to potential criminal charges for leaving the scene of the accident, the car owner’s son pled his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination and refused to answer any questions. Kobren Law had the ability to use the driver’s refusal to answer questions on Fifth Amendment grounds against him since the lawsuit was a civil case. Additionally, the son was never able to provide an alibi for where he was on the night of the accident.
“A little over a year after our client was released from the hospital with absolutely no information about who had hit him with their car and fled the scene, we were able to get the car owner’s auto insurance company to resolve the lawsuit for $300,000.00. After we were able to get his outstanding medical bills reduced significantly, our client received over $100,000.00 in his pocket tax free from the settlement,” recounts an elated Matthew.
Our attorneys will aggressively fight to obtain just compensation for you in civil court. If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident in South Florida where you suffer personal injuries and you want this level of commitment, investigation, and dedication, call Kobren Law at 561-361-8677 and visit our website: kobrenlaw.com. We encourage you to contact us for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.
