People in Illinois who are injured in a hit-and-run accident can recover damages from their auto insurance policy, even if they weren’t in their vehicle at the time of the accident. Capitol News Illinois reports that the Illinois Supreme Court made the ruling on Thursday. The case involved a 14-year-old Chicago boy who was injured by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bicycle on a public street in 2020.
The boy’s father filed a claim with his insurance company, Direct Auto Insurance. But Direct Auto denied the claim, saying it was only liable for injuries to people who were in a vehicle insured by the company. In a unanimous ruling, the state’s high court said Illinois law requires insurers to cover people against uninsured motorists and hit-and-run accidents, no matter where the insured is at the time of the accident.
