The loss of a loved one in an accident is usually heartbreaking for the victim’s family. Tragedy is only compounded if a driver’s negligence contributed to the death. This is probably what the family of a 33-year-old Oklahoma woman is feeling after learning she was the recent victim of an alleged hit-and-run driver.
According to Tulsa authorities, two pedestrians, a man and a woman, were struck by a pickup truck as they were walking in a construction zone. The driver allegedly fled the scene without stopping to help the victims. Both the man and woman were transported to a local hospital. The woman later died. The condition of the man was not immediately known.
A 23-year-old man turned himself in nearly 17 hours after the accident. He was arrested and charged with a felony complaint of leaving the scene of a fatal car crash.
Demonstrating the danger of the scene, less than 30 minutes after the accident a second driver did not stop for a Tulsa police officer blocking traffic in the same area and ran his SUV into the side of a police vehicle. He was arrested for not having a driver’s license and not having valid proof of insurance.
Driving near construction zones and where pedestrians may be walking should always be done with caution. In fact, a driver should exercise due care whenever they are on the road because the consequences of negligence can mean injury and death, as well as criminal and civil actions against the driver.
In this case, the man accused of the hit-and-run accident will probably face substantial criminal punishment for his negligence. Civil remedies may also be available to the woman’s family.
Source: Newson6, “Man Turns Himself In After Fatal Tulsa Hit and Run, Victim Identified,” Dee Duren, March 31, 2014
