Fatal Hit-and-Run on Caratoke Highway in Currituck County, North Carolina (NC)

CURRITUCK COUNTY, NC- According to 13newsnow.com, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the driver who struck and killed a cyclist, has now turned himself into the police. The incident took place overnight when a car traveling north collided with a cyclist on Caratoke Highway. Three cyclists were crossing the road at the time, but only one was struck.*

Reports state that the driver initially pulled over to a parking lot, but then decided to flee. One of the other cyclists then entered the road to try to pull the cyclist out of the road, but another car struck both men, dragging the second man before it stopped. The second man also died from his injuries. The car that was involved in the second impact remained on the scene and cooperated with investigators. The driver who fled voluntarily turned himself in days after the crash. According to officers, the man was a resident of Virginia. The vehicle, which had been caught on a surveillance camera, is now in custody. Police are still investigating the collision. 

Hit-and-run crashes are common in the United States and are becoming more common with each passing year. These deaths typically involve pedestrians and cyclists as they are the most likely to die in crashes that do not leave cars undrivable. In other words, a driver can strike a pedestrian or cyclist and still speed away from the scene with nothing more than dents or a cracked windshield. Such is not the case when it comes to deadly multiple vehicle collisions.

About one out of five people who die in pedestrian collisions are killed by a motorist who then leaves the crash site. Sadly, such incidents are increasing at a rate of 7.2 percent per annum. 

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.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/north-carolina/deputies-looking-for-driver-of-car-that-hit-and-killed-bicyclist-in-moyock/291-0beebdcf-b33d-46a2-aadb-6b8a2a26130e

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

https://www.cars.com/articles/hit-and-run-deaths-are-way-up-how-dangerous-is-your-state-1420699813513/