A 1996 Chevrolet Blazer tried to make a left turn into a Gas N More on Route 7 in Reedsville, West Virginia (WV) when the nightmare began. A 2002 Pontiac attempted to pass the line of traffic and wound up slamming into the Blazer.
The crash was so bad that it injured six people, including two kids (ages 1 and 3). One of the kids is currently in critical condition and receiving treatment at Ruby Memorial Hospital, according to wowktv.com.
I truly hope the kids are able to pull through and recover from this terrible car wreck. I couldn’t imagine being their parents at this moment. The unease and anxiety that comes with having an injured child in the hospital is gut wrenching.
To make matters even worse, the at-fault driver fled the scene of the accident. Fortunately, police were able to track down the car and charged the driver with driving on a suspended license, causing bodily injury, improper passing and fleeing the scene of an accident.
This incident highlights the importance of sticking around the scene of the accident, even if it’s your fault. The driver in this car wreck may have still faced charges for driving on a suspended license, but that additional charge of fleeing the scene of an accident will not look good in court. The law in West Virginia regarding hit-and-run accidents is clear:
§17C-4-1. Accidents involving death or personal injuries.
Any person violating the provisions of subsection (a) of this section after being involved in an accident resulting in the death of any person is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by confinement in a correctional facility for not more than three years or fined not more than five thousand dollars, or both.
Any person violating the provisions of subsection (a) of this section after being involved in an accident resulting in physical injury to any person is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by confinement in a county or regional jail for not more than one year, or fined not more than one thousand dollars, or both.
The commissioner shall revoke the license or permit to drive and any nonresident operating privilege of any person convicted pursuant to the provisions of this section for a period of one year.
Not only is the penalty severe for a hit-and-run, but sticking around and trying to help an injured car accident victim is the right thing to do, plain and simple. What if the roles were reversed? Would you really want the at-fault driver to just hit the accelerator and speed off? Of course not.
This car accident also underscores the importance of making proper lane changes and not improperly passing other cars on the road. If the at-fault driver in this wreck had just been more responsible and not tried to make an illegal pass, maybe this major car crash could have been avoided. Unfortunately, we’ll never know.
PA