Police Arrest St. Louis County Man on Suspicion of Hit and Run
On behalf of Brown & Crouppen, P.C. posted in Motor Vehicle Accident on Thursday, December 8, 2011
A 40-year-old St. Louis County man has been charged with hit and run in connection with an early-morning accident that injured two pedestrians. The defendant reportedly briefly posed as an eyewitness to the accident before fleeing the scene.
According to police, the defendant was driving in University City, Missouri around 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 7 when he struck two people standing next to their car, badly injuring both of them. The man stopped and told the victims, a 43-year-old man and 31-year-old woman, he had witnessed the accident and offered to help them, but then drove away, the arrest report says. The victims’ conditions were not mentioned in a Dec. 8 story by KMOX-TV.
Officers tracked down the defendant’s car soon after. They noted that the windshield was damaged and arrested the 40-year-old on a charge of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident. Bond was set at $15,000.
Hit and run is a Class D felony in Missouri, but the man may face more charges in connection with the accident. The St. Louis County Laboratory is examining evidence in the case, and officers said they had reason to believe the defendant was intoxicated when the collision occurred.
The criminal process may end with a conviction for the defendant, but the victims likely face medical bills and other costs due to their injuries. If you are ever injured in a hit and run car accident, a personal injury attorney can help you sort out your legal options and whether a lawsuit would be a good course of action.
Source: KMOX-TV, “University City Man Arrested, Charged in Hit-&-Run,” Dec. 8, 2011