Getting into a motor vehicle accident can be very upsetting and even traumatizing. Those who survive the crash may not know what to do next, but the answer should never be to leave the accident scene. Fleeing from an accident can make what is already a bad situation even worse.
Not only is it unlawful to leave the scene of a crash, but it can also be a choice that puts other lives in danger. After a serious accident, all of the people involved are supposed to stay put, call for help and render first aid to other victims if possible and necessary. These actions make it easier for people to get immediate medical attention and can provide police with much-needed information to determine what caused or contributed to an accident. Those who leave an accident scene may be robbing victims of their chance to survive and may only be getting themselves into more trouble. That may be the case for a Georgia driver who recently caused a fatal accident and then took off.
Reports indicate that a 20-year-old man was walking on the North Marietta Parkway at about 3 a.m. It is unknown why the man was walking in the road at that time, but a car came up from behind him and hit him. The young man was killed in the accident and the driver never stopped to help the young victim. Police are now investigating the accident and searching for the driver involved.
When people fail to stop after an accident, many times it is because they are in violation of another law at the time. They may be driving without insurance or a license, they may be drunk or they may have been driving recklessly. In any event, they believe that if they do not stop, they cannot get caught. That is not true. With accident reconstruction and investigation resources, it is possible to identify who caused an accident and what factors contributed to the crash.
Those who choose to flee an accident scene may think that they are getting away with being involved. However, victims of these accidents and their families have the right to work with an attorney in order to track down negligent parties and hold them accountable for the accident.
Source: CBS Atlanta, “Pedestrian struck, killed in hit-and-run accident,” Dec. 27, 2013
