Jul 26, 2019 11:30 AM EDT By Hannah Smith, UniversityHerald Reporter

Miss and run accidents are on the rise, and they involve phantom drivers that cause an accident, but are not directly involved in the accident. The circumstances are very similar to a hit and run, but the opposing driver was never actually involved in the accident.

A good example of this is a motorist looking down at their phone and swerving into the opposing lane.

While you're driving, your reaction is to swerve to avoid the accident and hit a tree or another driver. The person that swerved into your lane wasn't directly involved in the accident, so they speed off.

You would not have been in the accident if the phantom driver did not enter your lane.

If you're involved in a miss and run, you have a few items that you need to check off of your list immediately:

Track Down Any Witnesses

Your insurance company will likely treat the accident the same as they do an uninsured driver. But the insurer will want to have enough proof as possible that there was another driver involved.

The truth that the insurer is looking for comes best from witnesses and any video footage that may be available.

Your first course of action after ensuring that you're not injured is to track down any witnesses to the accident. Some states will require that a witness be able to back up your claims before even considering the validity of the claim.

It may be impossible to prove that there was a miss and run without a witness.

Report the Accident to the Police

As soon as possible, you should report the accident to authorities. The report should be made so that you have proof that there was an accident of some form. Police may be able to track down video footage of the phantom driver, but it depends on where the accident occurred.

Insurers may offer to cover the expenses, but the insurance adjuster will try their best to invalidate your claims.

The adjuster works in the best interest of the insurer. If the adjuster can prove that the accident was your fault, they will so that they don't have to pay for the damages or repairs. An attorney is often the best form of legal protection that you can have.

Attorneys will be able to fight on your behalf and fight back against insurance adjusters.

These professionals may be able to find proof of a phantom driver that you miss, such as:

• Tire marks

• Video footage

• Witnesses

Supporting your claim of a phantom driver is key to the insurance company providing you with the compensation that you deserve. While these accidents are similar to a hit and run, they're often more difficult to prove because the damage to the vehicle will not have signs of another vehicle causing damage.

With a hit and run, it's often apparent that another driver hit your vehicle because of the nature of the damages.

You will, once you've reported the accident to the police, want to file a statement with your insurance company within 30 days of the accident. The faster you file a statement, the better.

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