Pedestrian Injured in a Hit-and-Run in Lynchburg, Virgina (VA)

LYNCHBURG, VA- Wset.com writes that a hit-and-run driver struck and injured a pedestrian in Lynchburg this week on Timberlake Road. The incident occurred in the area of a Kroger in the late evening. Police received notice of a pedestrian hit-and-run and arrived on the scene to find the injured individual.*

The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Reports from witnesses at the scene stated that the vehicle involved was a dark-colored sedan. Officers say that the car would likely have sustained damage on its front-passenger side, including the windshield, hood, and mirror.

Police are requesting that anyone with information about the accident contact the department’s Traffic Safety Unit. 

Pedestrians are often the victims in hit-and-run crashes. The AAA writes that statistics from the last three decades indicate that on average, one out of every five pedestrians killed in the United States has died in a collision in which the driver flees.

Sadly, the AAA’s report shows that these crashes are becoming more common throughout the nation. Efforts to lower the number of such instances have demonstrated that harsher sentencing is not particularly effective in preventing drivers from fleeing. States vary drastically in the sentencing for hit-and-run crimes, with the maximum prison term ranging from six months to 30 years. 

Some states have taken a different approach and attempted to prevent drivers from fleeing by increasing the chances of apprehending hit-and-run drivers. These laws often involve push messages that are similar to Amber Alerts that are texted, emailed, or otherwise sent throughout the area near the crash site in an effort to enlist the public in identifying and locating the suspect. 

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Sources:

https://wset.com/news/local/lynchburg-police-investigating-hit-and-run-05-01-2020

https://aaafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/18-0058_Hit-and-Run-Brief_FINALv2.pdf