Jury finds car crash defendant guilty as charged

On Behalf of | Jun 6, 2014 | Personal Injury

Hardly a day goes by that Panama City news reports don’t include stories about personal injury in some form. Car accidents, animal attacks, construction mishaps or other misfortune befalling the unaware often involve negligence or recklessness by others. When that turns out to be the case, victims and survivors are entitled to seek compensation to help with medical bills for catastrophic injuries, lost wages and other family needs.

Sometimes when someone is hurt in a car accident, dealing with the trauma has a psychological component as well. The emotional upheaval injuries cause must be dealt with. A local woman likely faced this task over the last year as she recovered from multiple broken bones suffered in a crash on June 12. She reportedly was abandoned at the scene by the driver with whom she was riding.

Reports are the accident happened on U.S. 231. The victim, 31, was a passenger in a 2000 Ford Taurus driven by a 31-year-old male. Their relationship isn’t included in reports. They had been out drinking and dancing all evening. Traveling home, the car hit a concrete median barrier and flipped. The woman was thrown out, and the man remained behind the wheel, seemingly uninjured. According to court records, a passing state trooper got to the scene within seconds. The injured woman lay in the median calling for help. As the trooper went to help her, the man got out of the car and walked away.

Last week, an assistant state attorney prosecuted the man before a jury on charges of leaving the scene of an accident with injuries. Records show the verdict was guilty, including on the additional charge of driving with a revoked license. Sentencing is July 14.

Gaining an understanding of legal options and remedies available to accident victims is helpful when deciding whether or not to seek compensation from the at-fault person. An in-depth review of the parties’ relationship and accident facts from an experienced perspective will help. When motor vehicle accidents cause injuries, the best recovery possible should be the primary focus. Seeking compensation may be the right step.

Source:  The News Herald, “Man found guilty in crash” No author given, May. 30, 2014

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