In Texas, if someone causes an accident, they are expected to stop, report the accident to police and try to lend a hand if possible. It is the least one can do if his or her reckless actions caused injuries or deaths. A Houston man’s problems will only get worse after he fled the scene of a car accident that he caused.
The 29-year-old man admitted after being apprehended to striking a mother who was holding onto her daughter in the late-January accident. He has been charged with failure to stop and render aid, a felony that can lead to two to 10 years in prison.
According to the criminal complaint, the man fled the scene because he was scared of getting a ticket. He initially stopped after hitting the woman and child, but put his car in reverse and sped off after he said that he saw her stand up. He said that he was trying to avoid an accident when he hit the woman.
The woman was standing on the shoulder of the North Sam Houston Parkway because her car broke down. She suffered a broken leg in the collision but fortunately was able to hold onto her child, who escaped injury.
Police apprehended the man at his home after the woman was able to get the license plate number off of his car.
Fortunately the woman and her daughter are still alive. The results of the accident could have been much worse. Drivers have an obligation to be vigilant of their surroundings, and that includes pedestrians on the side of the road. The woman could choose to pursue a personal injury lawsuit against the man, in an attempt to win monetary damages to cover her medical bills.
Source: Houston Chronicle, “Mother, child survive being struck by car,” Carol Christian, Feb. 2, 2012
