More than a month after a homeless man suffered serious injuries when hit by, trapped under and dragged by a pickup truck in Newport News, Virginia (VA), police have made an arrest. The suspect, who appears to have been behind the wheel of the vehicle captured in surveillance video shot during the nighttime crash at 74th Street and Jefferson Avenue on March 7, 2014, faces felony charges of reckless driving and causing a hit-and-run accident.
The victim survived his injuries, but WAVY-TV 10 reported he required at least four days of hospital treatment.
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As shocking as the incident may seem, too many irresponsible and negligent drivers prove prove themselves willing to strike down another person then travel on without stopping. One of my Virginia and Carolina personal injury law firm colleagues recently wrote about a very similar pedestrian dragging accident in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (NC). Sadly, that victim lost his life, as did another Newport News pedestrian less than 24 hours before this crash in that Hampton Roads city on March 7.
Urging any driver who hits anything to stop seems unnecessary. But we get almost daily reminders that hit-and-run drivers abound. While not even gravely injuring or killing a fellow human being seems enough to stop reckless, impaired, distracted or malicious drivers, it is good to see that police take such wrecks seriously and pursue investigations for the weeks and months needed to identify and charge the responsible parties. Once the at-fault driver is known, the victim can hold him or her accountable in civil lawsuits.
EJL