Witness helps track down hit-and-run driver after fatal accident

A man witnessed a hit-and-run in Florida that killed a motorcyclist, and he decided he could not let the driver get away. He darted across traffic, yelling at the drunk driver to stop because she had hit someone. He tried to take a picture so that he had evidence of her license plate for the police. She eventually pulled over and got out of her vehicle, but she refused to go back to the scene. At this point, the man was able to get a clear picture of her plate, so he returned to the scene and talked to the deputies, who were very interested in his side of the story.

The police officers questioned the man and brought him along when they went to the woman’s house to confront her, knowing that he could ID her. They found her SUV, which she had tried to hide by putting a tarp over it, and they could smell alcohol and knew that she had been drinking. She was arrested for her involvement in the fatal accident. She now faces charges for causing the death, driving while under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene when there was a death involved, and tampering with the evidence from the crash in an effort to avoid the police.

When asked why he decided to go out of his way to find the woman, the man said that he had seen the crash and he knew instantly that the other man was probably dead. He just wanted justice to be served, and he wanted to make sure that the woman did not get away with it.

Not all fatal accidents will have witnesses that can provide definitive evidence and testimony, however. Any Florida family that has suffered a loved one’s death in a vehicle accident should consider seeking legal help immediately. Victims in such a situation may be able to work with an attorney to file a complaint and possibly receive damages.

Source: Sun-Sentinel, “Good Samaritan helps find suspect in fatal Pompano hit-run” Kate Jacobson, Mar. 02, 2014