Man charged with murdering a grandmother in car accident

A man who allegedly used his car as a weapon to kill a woman has been denied bail in a neighboring state. According to police, the 23-year-old man purposefully ran a woman over after he got into a car accident with her. Witnesses say the 53-year-old woman had exited her vehicle to survey the damage when the man purposefully drove into her and then ran over the top of her when he tried to escape the accident scene. Accidents involving senseless acts of violence like this are rare in Florida, but when they occur, authorities will hold responsible parties criminally accountable for their actions.

The woman’s daughter in this case was present at the time of the incident. The daughter climbed up onto the truck driver’s hood and started hitting his windshield and telling him to stop, but he would not acknowledge her. While the man was trying to drive away, his vehicle got stuck on a median. Several witnesses surrounded the vehicle and held the man until authorities arrived. The chief of police for the Georgia city where this accident occurred said that it is horrific to imagine that an incident like this could occur. The man will now face charges of aggravated battery, aggravated assault and murder. Allegedly, the accused man does not have a history of violence, he did not appear to know his victim and authorities are at a loss for why anyone might have committed such a heinous act. Fortunately, most Florida car accidents and injuries are not caused out of a willful intention to harm another human being. However, in such car accident cases, authorities will bring criminal allegations against drivers who hurt or kill fellow drivers out of road rage or for some other reason. Family members may also have strong wrongful death claims for compensation in civil court regarding the loss of their loved ones — especially if their relatives died as a result of another person’s intentionally violent behavior.

Source: 11Alive, “Police: Driver rear-ends vehicle, runs over grandmother,” June 27, 2014.