When a hit-and-run accident occurs, the first thing a driver should do — if he or she isn’t injured — is try to get the license plate number of the car that caused the accident. That and a vehicle description are the best pieces of evidence that police can use in tracking down the dangerous driver.
A recent accident in Houston, however, had a more interesting conclusion. According to police, a 50-year-old man was driving drunk when his SUV rear-ended a college student’s car on Scott Street.
Instead of waiting and calling police, the female college student, who had passengers in her car, took off after the man on Highway 59. She eventually caught up to him and was able to trap his car until police arrived and arrested him. He is now facing his third charge of driving while intoxicated.
Fortunately no one was hurt, but according to the female driver, the chase hit speeds of up to 95 mph. She said that she was talking to police on the phone the entire time the chase was happening.
While this may sound exciting and like something that every driver wishes they could do, the consequences of the chase could have been disastrous. While the woman should be commended for wanting to help bring a drunk driver to justice, other drivers could have become victims in the chase if an accident occurred.
The man could also face a personal injury lawsuit if anyone in the car he hit was injured, but the female also could have faced a lawsuit if she had hit any other cars during her pursuit.
Source: KTRK, “Police: Driver chases down hit-and-run suspect,” March 15, 2012
