Hit-and-Run Driver From Alabama Facing Charges in Injury Causing Pennsylvania Crash

CAMBRIA COUNTY, PA- Wearecentralpa.com writes that a truck driver in Alabama is facing charges following a hit-and-run crash that occurred in Johnstown this week. The driver, who was operating a truck, was traveling on Roosevelt Boulevard and was switching lanes when he collided with another car. The other vehicle then spun out and crashed into the barrier in the median.* 

The 52-year-old trucker then continued to travel away from the scene. 

A driver who witnessed the collision followed the truck and saw the vehicle later pulled over. The driver told police that the damage to the vehicle caused by the crash was old and not from the hit-and-run. However, police were able to identify paint on the truck as having come from the victim’s car. 

The impact injured a passenger in the other car. The driver is now facing charges for the collision. 

Hit-and-run crashes are increasing nationally and have created problems on the road. While the most common victims in the worst hit-and-runs are pedestrians, all of these instances are on the rise. Fatal hit-and-runs specifically have been increasing by 7.2 percent every year. 

The drivers who commit these crimes are often under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Studies suggest that motorists who flee after a wreck are between two and nine times as likely to be drunk or impaired at the time. It is likely that this is the reason that these people flee the scene in many cases. A drunk driver certainly has more to fear as far s legal consequences after a crash than would a sober driver. Then again, a driver who flees the scene is also going to face more severe penalties. 

Some states have worked to increase the sentencing for hit-and-runs in an effort to combat the growing problem. 

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 a 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://www.wearecentralpa.com/news/local-news/alabama-man-charged-in-monday-night-hit-and-run-in-johnstown/

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