When police track down hit-and-run drivers, most people celebrate this as a victory. However, these negligent drivers are often caught by law enforcement only after causing secondary crashes. As a result, their arrests sometimes come after even more destruction, injuries, and deaths. After a senior citizen lost their life to one of these negligent drivers, a secondary crash occurred in Cobb County as the motorist tried to flee. These types of crashes highlight just how irresponsible many drivers have become in Georgia.
Police Say Woman Was Intoxicated When She Committed a Hit-and-Run
This story begins not in Cobb County but in Atlanta, where a woman reportedly struck a 71-year-old man before fleeing the scene. The defendant then drove 20 miles in just 10 minutes, reaching Cobb County before causing a second collision. If we do the math, a distance of 20 miles in 10 minutes indicates an average speed of 120 miles per hour.
Police say that she had just finished her shift on the Atlanta strip when she caused the pedestrian accident. The senior victim died at the scene, and this led to various criminal charges after the authorities arrested the defendant. She now faces charges of vehicular homicide, hit-and-run causing death, and DUI. However, it is worth noting that the victim was reportedly crossing the street outside of a marked crosswalk.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution states that the second crash in Cobb County occurred when the defendant’s vehicle collided with a Ford F-150 on I-75. The pickup truck then spun and hit a guardrail before coming to a halt. While it is not clear whether the pickup truck driver was injured, the collision probably occurred at a high rate of speed.
The defendant then drove another three miles before pulling into a gas station. Police found her sitting in her vehicle, which by this point was completely undrivable. After searching her vehicle, they located an open bottle of liquor and a quantity of marijuana and ecstasy. Authorities subsequently concluded that she was intoxicated when she hit the 71-year-old victim 20 miles back.
In addition, the defendant’s vehicle was traced back to a strip club in Atlanta. Seeing as the authorities believe she had just ended a work shift when she left this location, it is fair to assume she was working at the strip club before the collision. Either way, these establishments are not exactly known for attracting sober people, especially during the early hours of the morning.
One can only hope that the family of the victim can achieve a sense of closure and justice when this is all over. Criminal charges could stop the defendant from causing further tragedy, and she may find herself behind bars for many years.
However, a civil lawsuit could also be possible. A wrongful death claim could hold not only the defendant accountable, but perhaps also the strip club. A car accident attorney in Cobb County might be able to argue that by allowing the employee to drive while clearly intoxicated, the establishment contributed to the fatal accident.