A hit-and-run collision on U.S. 17 near Sloop Point Road left a 17-year-old from Hempstead, North Carolina (NC), dead. The fatal wreck appears to have occurred before dawn on May 25, 2016, and the victim had been riding a kick-scooter.
Investigators with the State Highway Patrol found debris at the scene that indicates the driver who caused the deadly wreck was operating a Chevy pickup truck or SUV manufactured between 2001 and 2005. Anyone who has a fuller description of the vehicle or knows the identity of the driver who left the teen injured and dying by the side of the highway is being asked to share their information by calling (919) 733-7952.
Causing a hit-and-run accident is a crime. The negligent and careless act can also make the driver who fled liable for settling insurance claims and paying compensatory and punitive damages to victims even if he or she was not initially to blame for the wreck. Identifying the driver in this southeastern North Carolina crash that left a pedestrian dead is essential to ensuring the driver is held criminally and financially accountable.
If law enforcement officials cannot track down the hit-and-run driver, the family of the deceased teen may have some coverage under the uninsured motorist provisions of a parent’s automobile insurance policy. Invoking uninsured motorist coverage should be considered a last resort, however. It does not make the person who inflicted the harm pay, and the process goes no more smoothly than a claim filed against another driver.
EJL