Fatal hit-and-run crashes increasing in Virginia (VA)

AAA Mid-Atlantic believes the Virginia-Maryland-Washington D.C. region is going through what it calls an “alarming” increase in hit-and-run accidents, the Washington Post reported earlier this week.

Evidence collected by AAA indicates that the number of hit-and-run crashes in Virginia and Maryland – 44 in 2008 – will be more in 2009.

"About 60 percent of the people killed in hit-and-run crashes are pedestrians,” as AAA spokesman told the Post. He added that "one in five pedestrian fatalities involve hit-and-run drivers."

In the Hampton Roads area, two tragic hit-and-run accidents have been in the news recently. In August 2009, my colleague Emily Mapp Brannon wrote about a fatal crash in Greenville, N.C. when a moped rider was killed.

Also in August 2009, bicyclist Charles Francis McCarthy Jr. was riding on Johnstown Road in Chesapeake when he was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver, WAVY-TV reported. The driver, Sarah Magnolia Perry, was later arrested and charged with drunken driving.

In addition, I have written at length about the importance of uninsured motorist auto insurance if you’re a victim of a hit-and-run driver.

Most hit-and-run accients happen in urbanized areas like Hampton Roads, the AAA spokesman said.

"Deadly hit and run crashes most often occur on weekends and during the evening. Fifty-eight percent of fatal hit and run crashes occur on Friday, Saturday or Sunday; forty-seven percent of fatal hit and run crashes occur between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m.,” according to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

My colleagues and I share the public’s outrage at hit-and-run accidents. We have represented many victims in such crashes and approach such cases with vigor.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper,Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

(MM)