Saturday night, the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office received an emergency call regarding a pedestrian walking down US Highway 401. A deputy responded to the call, but, unfortunately, arrived on the scene after the pedestrian had already been hit. The pedestrian was identified as a young Fayetteville resident. The pedestrian died at the scene.
According to Highway Patrol Trooper David Key, the resident was walking in the middle of the right-hand late Saturday night when a vehicle, also traveling in the right-hand lane, struck the pedestrian from behind. Witnesses and physical evidence pointed to the pedestrian being at fault, not the driver. Therefore, even though a death resulted from the incident, the driver of the vehicle was not charged.
Pedestrian fatalities are a serious problem, accounting for 11 percent of motor vehicle fatalities. Fatality rates are higher in urban areas, due to a larger volume of pedestrian activity, but still occur in rural areas. The risk for pedestrian accidents also increases in late evening hours, specifically on the weekends.
In order to help prevent further pedestrian fatalities it is important to stay ever vigilant to the dangers of irresponsible drivers that may be on the road. Hit and run accidents are acts that are incompressible to most people that have a moral conscience. To be a driver and knowingly hits a pedestrian is committing a negligent and immoral act that should never happen in a civil society. A person who engages in this behavior should be held responsible to the fullest extent of the law.
Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), with an office also in Elizabeth City, in Northeast North Carolina (NC), practicing primarily in the southeastern U.S. and handles only injury law, including car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our Carolina injury law website is: http://carolina.hsinjurylaw.com, the firm edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, as well as the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard and also hosts a YouTube injury law video library covering many FAQ’s on personal injury subjects. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.
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