Teen Wrong-Way Driver Fleeing Police Kills Motorcyclist | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

A speeding teen driver traveling the wrong way on Route 3 in Stafford County, Virginia (VA), hit and killed a motorcycle rider on the morning of July 16, 2016. The wrong-way driver also sideswiped a pickup truck before being apprehended by local police who had pursued him from neighboring King George County.

 

 

News reports on the deadly crash do not include details on why the 16-year-old driver from North Carolina failed to stop when first alerted to do so. He currently faces preliminary charges for eluding police and for committing vehicular homicide. The person behind the wheel of the pickup was not injured, but the motorcyclist was ejected from his bike and died before being transported to a hospital. The deceased victim has been identified as 30-year-old Fredericksburg resident Joshua Mugabi Dombo.

This tragedy in Stafford County illustrates the risks of wrong-way driving, the dangers faced by motorcycle riders and the recklessness of leading police on a chase instead of pulling over when flagged for allegedly committing an offense. Any vehicle pursuit puts people’s lives at risk, and the individuals who suffer injuries or get killed are often innocent bystanders. Occasionally, the driver who loses control and inflicts harm on people who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time is a law enforcement officer. Only bad things can happen when a purported act of negligent driving that could result in a traffic ticket becomes a reckless chase.

Even in cases where a reckless wrong-way driver who causes personal injuries to others lacks car insurance of their own, all Virginia car insurance policies include mandatory uninsured motorist coverage. This type of UIM coverage is very important because it is often the only means of compensation after a crash with a reckless or drunk driver.

My Virginia personal injury and wrongful death attorney colleagues and I send our deepest condolences out the friends and family members of the central Virginia man who lost his life so senselessly. We have handled many cases where the negligent driver causing the accident has no insurance of their own, and we have struggled to find one or more uninsured motorist coverages that will apply to the circumstances of the wreck.

EJL