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Driver Faces Charges For Hit And Run, But Not For Vehicular Homicide, After Crash That Killed Pedestrian

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The law requires you to stay at the scene of the accident until you have provided your contact information to the other parties involved in the collision and, if anyone was injured in the accident, until first responders have arrived and begun to render assistance.  Why, then, would someone leave the scene of an accident that involved injuries?  Usually, the motive is fear, specifically the fear of criminal penalties for causing the accident or for some other illegal action that the police will discover if the driver remains at the scene.  Some drivers in hit and run cases already have warrants out for their arrest or were drunk or on drugs at the time of the accident.  In other cases, the driver fears that there were fatalities and that they will be charged with vehicular homicide.  Whether or not a hit and run accident results in any criminal charges or convictions, people injured in these accidents have the right to seek damages from the responsible parties.  To find out more, contact a Jacksonville car accident lawyer.

Poor Visibility Was the Main Cause of Fatal Pedestrian Accident

A section of Military Trail in Palm Beach County has become notorious for the number of accidents involving pedestrians trying to cross the street at night.  In that area, there are few streetlights, even though residents and business owners in the area have complained about the hazard.  Danielle Taylor Slocum is one of the victims of dangerous conditions on Military Trail.  At 10:56 p.m. on July 7, 2019, she attempted to cross the road, far enough from the intersection of Community Drive that motorists could not see her.  A Ford Aerostar struck her and then fled the scene; the driver of a second vehicle was unable to avoid hitting Slocum as she lay in the road.  The second driver called police to the scene, and Slocum was pronounced dead.  She was 25 years old, and among her surviving relatives was her infant son.

11 days later, police had identified the vehicle that caused the accident, as well as its driver.  When they contacted Anthony Bland of Riviera Beach, he admitted that he had been driving the Aerostar when it struck Slocum.  He said that he had left the scene because he had panicked, since his driver’s license was suspended at the time.  An investigation revealed that the visibility on the road was so poor that there was little Bland, who was 24 at the time of the accident, could have done to avoid a collision.  Therefore, prosecutors did not charge him with vehicular homicide.  Instead, he faces charges for driving with a suspended license and leaving the scene of a fatality accident.

Contact Douglas & Douglas About Car Accident Cases

A car accident lawyer can help you recover damages if you suffered a serious injury in a car accident where the driver fled the scene.  Contact Douglas & Douglas in Jacksonville, Florida for a free consultation.

Source:

palmbeachpost.com/story/news/crime/2019/12/15/riviera-beach-man-charged-with-fleeing-scene-of-deadly-july-crash/2078787007/

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