Driver Sought in Tragic Hit-and-Run Crash in Statesville, North Carolina (NC)

STATESVILLE, NC- Statesville.com writes that a driver struck and a man from Statesville this week at the intersection of Chestnut Grove Road and Beechwood Farm Road. The victim, identified as a 55-year-old man, was declared dead at the site of the tragic accident.* 

According to police, the victim was traveling in a 2004 Buick Lesabre when his car broke down. The Buick was stuck sideways on the road, and the driver was either in the car of next to it when a 2011 Ford F-150 collided with the vehicle and the victim. The person driving the Ford then ran away from the crash site, leaving his vehicle on the roadway. Police used a canine in their efforts to track the suspect but were unable to locate that individual. Reports indicate that the incident occurred in the very early morning. The investigation is ongoing, and the driver has not yet been apprehended. 

Hit-and-run fatalities have been increasing an average of 7.2 percent every year across the United States. In 2016, which was the most recent year evaluated by the AAA, 2,049 people were killed in hit-and-run crashes. The majority of victims are pedestrians or people on bikes. 

The drivers who commit hit-and-runs are often drunk at the time of the crash. Studies found that these motorists are anywhere from two to nine times as likely to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of a crash as drivers who do not leave the crash site. Alcohol impairment may be the reason that many drivers leave the scene as they know that they will face serious legal consequences if they are caught. 

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Sources:

https://www.statesville.com/news/local/man-killed-in-sunday-morning-crash-driver-of-hit-and-run-vehicle-being-sought/article_29611d82-957d-58ad-9fb8-3d72adf8628a.html

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