Two men were seriously injured last week when the quad ATV they were riding on was hit by another vehicle, which may have been fleeing a crime scene. An investigation is still underway, but the occupants of the truck might have just stolen marijuana plants from a nearby property.
The crash sent the two men on the ATV to the hospital via airlift. The vehicle, a pickup truck, fled the scene and has not yet been found. Add this incident to the ever-lengthening list documenting an ongoing problem in Riverside County: hit-and-run crashes.
Long List of Recent Incidents
On the last day of October, a two-vehicle hit-and-run in Thermal left one man dead and two other people hospitalized with serious injuries. The driver suspected of causing that crash was located and arrested a few hours later.
A few days later in Perris, a Corona man was killed in a collision between his motorcycle and a large truck, which the fled the scene. At last report, police are still seeking that driver.
Only a couple of days after that tragedy, a driver hit a motorcycle and two other vehicles on the 215 in Riverside but kept going. When that driver stopped, an off-duty LA County sheriff’s deputy held him at gunpoint until CHP arrived. That driver, from Corona, was driving on a suspended license. The good news in that particular case is that no one was injured.
A Statewide Problem
This list could easily go on. If it seems like there’s a serious hit-and-run in Riverside County nearly every day, that’s shockingly close to the truth. In 2014, the most recent year with available data from the California Office of Traffic Safety, Riverside County saw 625 combined serious injuries and deaths due to hit-and-run drivers. While that’s not a number to be proud of, there’s some consolation in knowing that it landed the county on the safer side when it came to hit-and-runs that year: Only six California counties saw fewer.
Leaving the scene of an accident is a serious offense which can be categorized as either a misdemeanor (for property damage) or a felony (for causing injury or death). The maximum penalty for a hit-and-run driver, besides paying any restitution, is four years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Riverside County Car Accident Lawyer
Those penalties apply in criminal court, but when you’ve been harmed in a car crash it’s usually in your best interest to also go after the person who caused the accident in civil court. Filing there improves your chance of receiving the compensation you deserve.
When you need to pursue restitution for any kind of motor vehicle accident, including a hit-and-run, turn to the experienced attorneys at Kohan & Bablove, Injury Attorneys. We understand what needs to be done to reach a successful settlement in an automobile accident case, and we offer a free consultation to all new clients. Pick up the phone and call us at 949.535.1341 or contact us online through the form below to make an appointment today.
