Virginia man tries and fails to flee car accident scene

Countless car accidents in Northern Virginia entail the following scenario: a driver is traveling down the road, minding his or her own business, when a sudden crash shakes their vehicle’s rear end. While many such fender-benders aren’t fatal, they can still prove costly in many ways. An auto accident can lead to expensive repairs, the need for a pricey rental car and possibly a spike in one’s insurance costs.

In addition, of course, even the most mundane-seeming car crash can cause injury. An unexpected impact can cause the human body to move in very damaging ways; sometimes, serious injuries don’t surface until later on. Recently, a hit-and-run accident injured a 47-year-old woman and her 18-year-old passenger. The women were traveling down a highway when another car hit their car from behind. While the other driver fled the scene, it was noted that he was driving a white pickup truck with Virginia license plates.

Fortunately, authorities located the vehicle just ten minutes later in a parking lot. The 25-year-old driver was taken into police custody and received the following charges: careless driving, accidents involving death or personal injury and duty to give information and render aid. While this auto crash happened in Pennsylvania, it is also illegal in Virginia to leave the scene of a car accident.

In any hit-and-run, the role of witnesses is vital. When a driver suspected of causing an accident is finally tracked down, many times he or she may deny their role in the incident, or otherwise minimize their own negligence. It takes skilled legal maneuvering to reveal what really happened when innocent drivers are victimized by another’s carelessness. Personal injury attorneys can make sure the courts hear all relevant witness accounts, thus helping the injured receive the compensation to which they are entitled.

Source: WFMZ, “Man arrested 10 minutes after hit-and-run accident on Rt. 22,” Mar. 7, 2014