With the rain pelting down and roads becoming slick, many New York residents may decide to stay in for the evening to stay safe. After all, one does expect to become involved in a motor vehicle accident in the safety of their homes, but a recent accident in the state demonstrates crashes can take place anywhere, even in one’s house.

According to police officers, they were trying to pull over a car for vehicle and traffic violations when the car ran into the front steps of a house in the early morning hours. As a result, the car caught on fire and the driver fled from the scene of the crime. Firefighters managed to quickly put out the fire. An arrest is pending.

Whether one is waking up in the middle of the night to the wailing of sirens rushing to put out a fire that a car has caused after crashing into their house or one’s vehicle has suddenly been struck from behind by a distracted driver, a car accident strains an accident victim emotionally, financially and physically. While holding the negligent person accountable for their actions can provide a certain amount of closure to the victims and their loved ones, this is not possible if the distracted driver cannot be located. However, the negligent driver’s absence does make an accident victim’s injuries any less devastating.

People who have been struck by a hit-and-run driver may think they have no legal options for compensation, but this is not always the case. It might be beneficial to speak to an experienced attorney to learn what legal options one has in the aftermath of one’s accident. Everyone’s circumstances differ, as does the legal path they can pursue.