Austin, Texas - Following the recent high profile hit-and-run accident that left an Austin woman with disfiguring injuries, Austin injury attorney Amy Witherite of the 1800 Truck Wreck attorneys is seeking to raise awareness about a growing problem that has plagued the flourishing city for years. According to Witherite, thousands of hit-and-run crashes occur in Austin annually, many which leave pedestrians, bicyclists, and others with serious, life-threatening injuries. The attorney’s firm discussed the issue and surprising facts about hit-and-run incidents in a recent publication about the controversial case, “Bicyclist Dragged for Blocks by Driver Who Failed to Stop After Texas Crash.”
Surprising Austin Hit-and-Run Accident Statistics
In a past news report, the Austin Police Department put out a call for help in solving hundreds of hit-and-run cases in the city each year, giving insight into the broad scope of the problem. APD Det. Adrian Duran is quoted by KXAN news as stating of the department’s concerns “On average we get a little over 800 hit-and-runs per month.”
In the recent incident, the bicyclist injured after a pickup truck driver failed to stop and render aid was dragged underneath the vehicle for a reported half a mile and sustained severe injuries to multiple parts of her body. The suspected driver was subsequently located and arrested.
How Victims Deal With the Aftermath of a Hit-and-Run Accident
Peter Kissinger, president and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, has in the past stated of the growing problem of serious hit-and-run accidents “The problem is bigger than I think most people are aware.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cited an upward trend in the number of related fatalities in 2013. Witherite says that among the factors that influence drivers to run from the scene of an accident are:
- Being intoxicated
- Driving without a license or with a suspended one
- Being a young or inexperienced driver
- Simply not wanting to take responsibility for their actions
The Texas attorney notes that in spite of legislation being passed in 2013 that increases penalties for drivers who become involved in hit-and-run crashes, there have not been dramatic enough declines. According to Witherite, civil lawsuits being filed against those who are located and prosecuted for their crimes are helpful in the fight to reduce hit-and-run driving accidents on a broad scale, particularly when it comes to repeated offenses.
The attorney also says that, “it is important that victims in these matters are not left without effective recourse for being compensated for damages they incur as a result of someone else’s negligence.”
The full publication on the recent Austin hit-and-run accident is available on the Eberstein Witherite 1-800-TRUCK-WRECK blogsite.
For more information about the Texas truck wreck law firm, or to contact an Eberstein Witherite LLP Austin personal injury lawyer for help with a traffic accident case, please visit http://www.1800truckwreck.com/ or call 1-800-TRUCK-WRECK. Connect with Eberstein Witherite on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.
Media Contact:
Lucy Tiseo
Eberstein Witherite LLP 1800 Truck Wreck
Phone: 1-800-779-6665
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