Hit-and-run accidents can leave victims facing debilitating injuries and no one to hold responsible. Without the benefits of air bags and seat belts, pedestrian victims in hit-and-run accidents are frequently severely injured or even killed in such accidents.
Hit-and-run offenders face additional legal problems when police eventually track them down. An Arlington, Virginia man and his friend were recently involved in a hit-and-run accident in a neighboring state. The driver initially fled the scene of the accident, but then returned to his wrecked car to retrieve his friend who had been a passenger. The two fled on foot, but police eventually tracked them down using a helicopter and search dogs. Prosecutors charged the driver with leaving the scene of an accident involving death or personal injury, causing an accident while not properly licensed, driving without a license, reckless driving and failing to immediately report an accident.
Seeking medical care should be the first priority in any vehicle accident. After ensuring that everyone at the scene is no longer in danger, victims should do their best to write down information regarding the vehicle that struck them, including make, model, color, and license plate number and state, and any information that they may have noticed about the driver or passengers. Victims should also speak to possible witnesses, who likely got a better look at the offending vehicle than the victims did.
Contact a Northern Virginia personal injury attorney, such as Virginia personal injury lawyer Kelly Fisher, at Koonz, McKenney, Johnson & DePaolis L.L.P. if you would like further guidance regarding injuries sustained in a hit-and-run accident.