FLY-BY-NIGHT DRIVER FLEES PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

Our literature is full of dastardly deeds that take place under cover of darkness. The nighttime has been mythologized as a frightening and even perilous time. Some people, such as one hit-and-run driver in British Columbia, seem to believe that their decisions as well as their actions are rendered invisible at night, especially when they flee the scene of a pedestrian accident.

For the female pedestrian struck down and abandoned at the corner of 12th Avenue, the reality of physical pain must have far outstripped any mythic terrors associated with nighttime. Indeed, witnesses saw the driver of the pickup circle round the downed pedestrian and promptly leave the area. The victim was transported to hospital with injuries listed as serious.

There were many options available to this apparently heartless driver. Rather than staying in the vehicle, he or she might have disembarked to see how badly the woman was hurt, or even if still alive. He or she could have then phoned police or emergency services, remaining on scene as the law requires when a car accident occurs. Instead, cloaked by darkness, the driver decided to drive away.

A number of this driver’s actions might come under legal scrutiny. Perhaps most pertinent would be questions on the part of the injured victim, bewildered by this driver’s decision to leave her to her fate. Whether a pedestrian accident occurs during the day or at night, a British Columbia personal injury lawyer might offer guidance that shines a light on an event whose ending might have been much darker — indeed, fatal.

Source: castanet.net, “Hit-and-run driver sought“, Chelsea Powrie, Jan. 24, 2018