Wisconsin Assembly Bill 201 Demands Drivers Stop and Investigate Incidents

Governor Scott Walker signed numerous bills into law at the Wisconsin State Capital on Wednesday, March 30, 2016. Included in the bevy of laws is Assembly Bill 201, which addresses hit and run accidents throughout the state.

Assembly Bill 201 was enacted to help prevent individuals from using the excuse that they neglected to stop because they did not know what they hit in a hit-and-run incident. The bill requires that drivers involved in an accident must stop and “reasonably investigate” the scene to determine what they struck. If they driver determines that his crash resulted in injury, death, or damage to a vehicle, he must stop and offer assistance and his pertinent information. Prosecutors are no longer required to prove that the driver in a hit-and-run incident was aware that they caused injury, death, or damage to a vehicle.

This law was enacted based on a hit-and-run incident in which a 20-year-old young man was killed. The driver in the crash insisted that he believed he hit a garbage can and, as a result, did not stop to investigate or render aid. The man’s parents played a large role in the passage of the bill.

Approximately 500 individuals are killed and 40,000 injured on Wisconsin roadways each year. Victims of hit-and-run incidents, DUI accidents, and crashes due to driver distraction or other errors must not allow themselves to be victimized by insurance adjusters. Far too often, adjusters call upon injured parties shortly after accidents, offering paltry settlements that may not even cover medical bills. It is important to contact a Madison personal injury attorney soon after your accident to help you receive a fair settlement.

The experienced attorneys at the Eisenberg Law Offices work to support our clients. We offer fair valuations of cases and do not promise things we cannot deliver. We support injured parties so that they can be proactive in their recovery, both physically and financially. For more information and a free consultation, contact the Eisenberg Law Offices at 608-256-8356.