An elderly woman died on the night of March 13 in York County, Virginia in a three vehicle hit and run crash, the Virginia State Police stated earlier this month.
The 81 year old who died in the car accident was Doris J. Wright from Gloucester, Virginia. She died when a 2015 Chrysler 300 going eastbound on Denbigh Blvd. swerved into westbound lanes and hit Wright’s 1996 Ford Ranger as well as a 1998 Lincoln Town Car.
Wright suffered serious injuries in the hit and run crash and died at nearby Mary Immaculate Hospital. The Town Car spun out of control and stopped on the road. The driver of the Chrysler drove into a ditch and exited the crash scene on foot.
Newport News, Virginia police dogs were brought in to find the suspect, but as of press time, he had not been found. The state police still are looking for the driver.
Our View
Fatal hit and run crashes are increasing across the country, with 1274 in 2009 to 1449 in 2011.
Virginia has very complex laws that govern what we are supposed to do if we are involved in a car accident. ‘Hit and run,’ or leaving the scene of an accident is a serious crime, especially if the crash resulted in death or serious injury. In that case, the usual charge in Virginia is felony hit and run.
Virginia state law in 46.2-894 states that the driver of any vehicle who is involved in a car accident with death or serious injury must immediately stop as close as possible to the accident scene as can be done safely. He or she must provide their name, address, driver’s license information, and license plate to the state police or local law enforcement, to the person struck if he or she is alive and able to understand, or to another driver or occupant. Violating this statute is a Class 5 felony.
People who are convicted of felony hit and run in Virginia will face serious jail time. Additionally, they can be held liable in a civil wrongful death lawsuit. Our Virginia wrongful death attorneys have a strong record of helping grieving families to recover from emotional and financial devastation by winning large wrongful death lawsuits that can exceed $3 million or more in some cases.
Our personal injury attorneys in Virginia helped the family of a driver who was killed by a tractor trailer driver to recover millions in damages. The deceased, a 25 year old man, died in a fiery crash on I-64 in Norfolk when he was rear ended by the big rig.
We are glad that we are able to help grieving families to receive additional justice through the successful resolution of wrongful death lawsuits, where negligence was involved on the part of an individual and/or company.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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