California Injury Blog
A man has suffered critical injuries in a Newport Beach hit-and-run accident, The Orange County Register reports in this article. The man was attending to a disabled vehicle in the curb lane of westbound Hospital Road near Placentia Avenue on February 1, 2009 when he was struck by a white sport utility vehicle, possibly a Ford Explorer. The victim suffered serious injuries and was taken to a local hospital where he is listed in critical condition. If you have any information about this Orange County hit-and-run accident, please call the Newport Beach Police Department’s Traffic Division at 949-644-3717 or Detective Beverly at 949-644-3747.
My heart goes out to this victim who got struck down as he was attending to his disabled vehicle. It is appalling that the driver of this SUV did not have the human decency to stop at the scene of the accident and help the man he had hit. The injured victim and his family will be in my prayers and I hope and pray that he makes a quick and complete recovery.
There is no question that the hit-and-run driver in this case should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There is no excuse for such negligence and callous disregard for a fellow human being. I would not be surprised if alcohol or drugs were involved in this accident. This individual must be found, brought to justice and held criminally as well as civilly responsible for what happened to this victim.
Leaving the scene of an accident is a crime under California law. According to the California Vehicle Code Section 20001 (a): “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.”
I’d advise the injured victim or his family in this case to consult immediately with a reputed Orange County auto accident law firm to thoroughly understand their legal rights and options. An experienced personal injury attorney should fully investigate the circumstances of this collision and will fight to secure just compensation for the victim from all the negligent parties involved. If the hit-and-run driver turns out to be uninsured or underinsured, then a skilled lawyer will help determine if the victim is entitled to compensation based on the uninsured/underinsured motorist clause of his own auto insurance.