A moped rider suffered injuries that required hospital treatment when a car’s driver hit him and then fled the scene in Raleigh, North Carolina (NC), on the evening of February 1, 2018. The hit-and-run collision happened in the 5600 block of Hillsborough Street.
Raleigh police received the call about the crash just after 6:20 pm. They discovered the moped rider about 100 feet from the point of impact because the 35-year-old man had been dragged along the pavement while the car’s driver refused to stop. The moped actually remained partially under the larger vehicle for nearly a mile, finally coming free near the turnoff to Jones Franklin Road.
Witnesses described the hit-and-run driver’s vehicle as a white sedan and possibly a Honda Civic. Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the car or the identity of the driver who collided with, dragged and injured the moped rider should call Crime Stoppers at (919) 834-4357.
The injuries suffered by the moped rider were not considered life-threatening, but the driver should still be apprehended, charged with breaking the law and held responsible for paying the injured man’s medical bills. If that cannot happen, the moped rider should speak with a knowledgeable Carolina personal injury lawyer about how to invoke the uninsured motorist provisions of his own auto insurance policy.
In addition to highlighting a legal complication of hit-and-run collisions, this crash on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh also calls attention to the need for drivers to share the road safely and respectfully with motorcycles and mopeds. After stressing that moped riders have all the same rights as motorcyclists, the Florida Department Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles presents these essential tips for drivers:
- Watch for motorcycles and look carefully before pulling into an intersection or changing lanes.
- It is difficult to gauge the speed of a motorcycle; they may appear to be much farther away than they really are.
- Do not follow too closely behind a motorcycle; motorcycles have the ability to stop more quickly than other vehicles.
- Motorcyclists often slow down by down-shifting or rolling off the throttle, thus not activating the brake light.
- Never pass a motorcyclist with only a few feet of space. The force of the wind gust can cause the rider to lose control.
- Maintain a four-second buffer zone between you and a motorcyclist, and increase space when encountering inclement weather, gusty winds, wet or icy roads, bad road conditions and railroad crossings.
EJL