On Oct.13, a woman was trying to cross Central Avenue in the 100 block when she was struck by a vehicle that failed to yield for her. The woman was using the crosswalk when the collision occurred at about 2:30 a.m., and the driver continued traveling down the road after the accident. She was taken to UT Medical Center with severe but unspecified injuries.
The victim and a witness later described the vehicle that caused the car accident as a 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis. Police using this description were subsequently able to locate the car and its motorist after only a brief delay.
Reports did not say whether the early time of morning contributed to the accident, but police who detained the 21-year-old motorist on James White Parkway said that he displayed signs of being intoxicated. He was later arrested, and police leveled numerous charges at him. He stands accused of DUI, operating a motor vehicle in violation of a license suspension, fleeing the accident and vehicular assault.
Hit-and-run accidents can leave pedestrians in serious conditions. Some victims require extensive medical treatment that may include life-saving surgeries or long periods of physical rehabilitation, and the motorists who hit them may not have the insurance to cover such expenses. In addition, pedestrians may not be able to work while they’re injured, making it even more important that they find an alternate way to pay their medical bills unless they want to assume significant debts. Attorneys who gather additional evidence and reconstruct accidents to establish who was at fault may help injured victims offset their costs and make their recoveries less stressful.
Source: WATE, “Woman struck by hit-and-run car in Knoxville; suspect arrested“, Jim Smith, October 14, 2013