Marie Hardwick, 24, was severely injured in a Los Angeles car accident, which officials say involved a hit-and-run driver. According to a CBS Los Angeles news report, the hit-and-run accident occurred outside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) at Wilshire Boulevard and Spaulding Avenue in Los Angeles, the early morning of March 25, 2012. Officials say Hardwick was struck by a black BMW with no license plates and that there were two men in the vehicle. Hardwick was seriously injured and has already undergone eleven hours of surgery for her multiple injuries including broken legs, ripped tendons and a smashed jaw. Investigators are looking for information about this hit-and-run driver.
My heart goes out to Marie Hardwick following this terrible hit-and-run car accident. Friends say Hardwick had just watched an art film at the museum event along with many others. I pray that she has a complete recovery. Apparently the victim has been so badly injured that she may have to spend several months in the hospital.
Los Angeles Pedestrian Accident Statistics
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2009 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), 82 fatalities and 2,630 injuries were reported as a result of pedestrian accidents in the city of Los Angeles. Countywide, 179 people were killed and 4,918 were injured as a result of pedestrian accidents, during that same year.
Hit-and-Run Law
Based on the news account, the driver of the BMW not only struck and seriously injured the woman as many people watched, but also left the scene leaving the severely injured victim lying on the roadway. Appalling! Leaving the scene of an injury car accident is an inhumane and morally reprehensible act, not to mention illegal. California Vehicle Code Section 20001 (a) states: “The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than himself or herself, or in the death of a person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident.”
Holding Hit-and-Run Drivers Accountable
Officials are searching for the driver, the passenger and the black BMW involved in this crash. If you have any information about this accident, please visit our web site www.hitandrunreward.com. Our site allows witnesses to provide an anonymous tip and become eligible to receive a $1,000 reward.
Victims of hit-and-run accidents or their families have it in their best interests to speak with an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, who will stay abreast of the official investigation and make sure that their legal rights and best interests are protected. In cases where severe injuries have occurred, victims’ families are often left with staggering medical bills and other expenses, without anyone to hold accountable for it. A skilled car accident attorney will better inform families in such cases about how their own auto insurance policy applies to an incident where the suspect is not found, or, in a crash where the at-fault motorist is uninsured or underinsured.