Three days after a deadly pedestrian crash, police in Norfolk, Virginia (VA) continue searching for the hit-and-driver involved. The fatal collision happened in the 2400 block of Tidewater Drive/VA-168. Authorities received the call at around 8:20 pm on June 24, 2022.
According to police, the at-fault driver ran up onto the sidewalk near the intersection of Tidewater Drive and Rugby Street. The driver then removed the plates from their car, got into a second vehicle and fled the scene. Anonymous tips regarding the driver’s identity and whereabouts can be posted to this web page.
LEARN MORE
- Which Laws Apply When a Driver Hits a Pedestrian in Virginia
- A Virginia Wrongful Death Attorney Explains How to Invoke Uninsured Motorist Coverage
- What You Must Know About Filing a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Virginia
Authorities found the pedestrian critically injured and transported them to the hospital. Sadly, 36-yer-old Karl Wilkerson died the same night.
As part of their search, police shared surveillance camera photos of the suspected hit-and-run driver. See this news report to view those images.
Numerous Errors Add Up to an Irreversible Tragedy
My Virginia Beach-based wrongful death law firm colleagues and I hope police locate the hit-and-run driver. This will make it possible to prosecute the individual for several criminal offenses. In addition, taking the hit-and-run driver into custody will simplify filing and collecting on wrongful death insurance claims.
The driver made their first mistake by leaving the roadway. Section 46.2-905 of the Virginia Code bans passenger cars from sidewalks. More seriously, state law requires every driver involved in a crash to remain on the scene. A driver should also provide first aid when possible. Police and prosecutors treat committing a hit-and-run that results in a death as a felony.
The text of that law reads:
The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident in which a person is killed or injured or in which an attended vehicle or other attended property is damaged shall immediately stop as close to the scene of the accident as possible without obstructing traffic … and report his name, address, driver’s license number, and vehicle registration number forthwith to the State Police or local law-enforcement agency, to the person struck and injured if such person appears to be capable of understanding and retaining the information, or to the driver or some other occupant of the vehicle collided with or to the custodian of other damaged property. The driver shall also render reasonable assistance to any person injured in such accident, including taking such injured person to a physician, surgeon, or hospital if it is apparent that medical treatment is necessary or is requested by the injured person.
Options Exist if the At-Fault Driver Remains at Large
Pedestrians always have right of way on sidewalks. Any driver who hits and injures or kills a pedestrian on a sidewalk should have liability for settling insurance claims. But who pays when an at-fault driver remains unidentified?
Virginia law requires every car insurance policy sold in the state to include uninsured motorist coverage. Crash victims and crash victims’ families can invoke this coverage following unsolved hit-and-run collisions. The process amounts to suing one’s own insurance company, but a personal injury and wrongful death attorney can assist.
EJL