According to prosecutors, a judge has convicted a man for his part in a hit and run accident that killed another man and injured a woman.
The 73-year-old-man was found guilty of “operating a vehicle without due care” in the accident that killed a 38-year-old man who was changing a flat tire on the side of the road.
The incident occurred on Feb. 1 when the victim pulled his Hyundai to the side of the road, put on his hazard lights, and began to change the tire. According to police, this was at approximately 9 p.m.
Shortly after pulling over and beginning work on the tire, the man was struck by a van.
The man driving the van said that he ran into something when changing lanes, but was unsure of what. After investigators found parts of his vehicle at the scene, the van was seized from a local auto body repair shop.
Even before the conviction, the man had already decided to plead guilty to “failing to stop after driving a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in death.”
While sentencing is not scheduled until January 2016, the man faces a maximum of one year in prison.
This type of accident is common, as drivers don’t often pay attention to what is happening on the shoulder of the road. Making the problem worse is the fact that some people neglect to stop a person injured in such an accident.
Anybody who is a victim in a hit and run accident should receive immediate medical attention, as this can improve their chance of long term survival.
Source: The Washington Post, “Hyattsville man convicted in hit-and-run crash that killed man changing tire,” Lynh Bui, Sep. 30, 2015
