We have all seen the crazy things that people do while they are driving – apply makeup on their morning commute, reading while driving through town, texting, and driving on the highway more focused on food than the road ahead. Although some of this behavior may not have been illegal in the past, distracted driving is a leading cause of car crashes which leave people seriously injured or worse.

After the initial shock of a car accident, a victim is left with a number of thoughts running through their head. “Am I Hurt?” “How am I going to pay for this?” “What do I do now?” Things can understandably become chaotic and you might not be thinking clearly. Because of this, many people unwittingly make mistakes that could end up harming their ability to recover compensation. Even something as small as saying “I’m sorry” after an accident could be construed as an admission of guilt and seriously hurt your claim. Another common mistake is signing a statement or giving a recorded statement to the insurance company in an attempt to quickly get the matter “over with.”

A car accident is a terrifying enough experience without the additional stress of being abandoned at the scene by the driver who hit you. Unfortunately, hit and run accidents happen all the time – according to Ameriprise, 10 percent of car accidents are classified as hit and run.