The South Carolina Highway Patrol was given a description of a vehicle thought to be responsible for the death of a pedestrian. The tragedy occurred at approximately 7:30 p.m. on March 1. An EMS worker spotted a metallic blue pickup truck behind a motel. Troopers located the owner of pickup and took him into custody in connection with the hit-and-run car accident.
The owner and suspected driver of the blue pickup is accused of striking a woman who left an assisted living facility on foot at 7:22 p.m. that night, according to surveillance video. Staff at the facility told authorities that the woman went to search for another resident who was walking to an area hospital. The victim was not far from the facility when she was hit.
Another motorist saw the woman’s body lying on the roadway and called 911. South Carolina Highway Patrol officers say nine minutes passed from the time the woman left the facility to when the 911 call was made. The woman suffered blunt force trauma to her head and body as a result of the impact. She did not survive.
The vehicle owner taken into custody was charged with the deadly hit-and-run car accident and failing to render aid and report the incident. A judge denied the man bond at a court appearance on March 3. In addition to the criminal charges, the man could separately face a wrongful death claim from the family of the deceased pedestrian, seeking financial damages sustained because of her death. That civil action may include as defendants all parties deemed responsible for what happened that night, perhaps even including the assisted living facility in charge of her care.
Source: foxcarlina.com, Man denied bond in hit-and-run that killed Gaffney woman, Derek Dellinger and Dal Kalsi, March 1, 2014
Steven Krause is a personal injury, auto accident, and workers’ compensation lawyer who practices in Anderson, SC. He graduated form the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law and has been practicing law for 40 years now. Steven Krause believes in fighting for the injured. Learn more about his experience here.