Personal Injury Attorney
CBS New York is reporting that a delivery driver who allegedly hit one pedestrian and dragged another to her death has been charged with fleeing the scene of an accident that resulted in death and leaving the scene of an accident that caused injury (https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/07/30/north-babylon-deadly-hit-and-run/). His license also has been suspended in the interest of public safety, and he is currently being held on $100,000 bail.
Donnell Hicks, a 26-year-old man from Queens, New York City, remained silent as he was brought from the police station into the court for his arraignment. He also showed little emotion as the prosecutors described how he, a delivery man who worked for auto parts retailer AutoZone, admitted his part to the arresting officers in the fatal hit-and-run accident.
According to police, Hicks was in front of AutoZone in the Hamlet of North Babylon, Long Island, when he struck Ann Marie Christina, a 38-year-old woman from the East Quogue district of Long Island. He dragged her body for several blocks–a quarter mile in total, according to the documents filed in court–before stopping. He also hit 40-year-old Eric Krems, who was with Christina at the time but was not caught under the van and dragged. Krems suffered minor injuries in the incident and has since been treated and released from an area hospital.
In court, prosecutors stated that Hicks told police officers that he knew that there was something under his van after he left the AutoZone lot but continued driving along his usual route anyway. He also acknowledged that people were yelling at him to stop as he drove along the street, and that he heard a woman screaming the entire time but did not know that she was under his delivery van. According to Hicks’ statement, he made a turn onto a side street, stopped and then saw the victim, whom he believed was still alive at the time. He then left her there to go make his next scheduled delivery, telling police that he had to get to his next job on the route.
Christina was rushed to a nearby hospital, but she did not survive the horrifying accident.
Just one hour after this deadly hit-and-run, police were able to arrest Hicks at another AutoZone location.
Auto-pedestrian accidents are often deadly for the person on foot. A person who is walking lacks the protection a motor vehicle affords its driver, and the sheer difference in weight, size and speed between a car and pedestrian often leaves the pedestrian in the most danger in an accident. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, there is an average of one pedestrian-accident-related death in the US every 1.5 hours (https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/pedestrian_safety/index.html).
If you have been involved in an auto-pedestrian accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, losses, and pain and suffering. Consult an experienced pedestrian accident lawyer in Denver, CO about your case today to protect your rights and receive fair compensation for your losses stemming from the accident.
Thanks to Richard J. Banta, P.C. for their insight into personal injury claims and pedestrian accidents.
