Pedestrian Killed in Hit-and-run Crash on Military Trail
Car manufacturers often claim that theirs are the safest cars on the road, and while the rate of serious injuries resulting from car accidents has decreased over the last few decades, largely because of the introduction of seat belts and airbags, the truth is that any car is safer than no car. If a car hits you when you are in a car, even if your car is small, you are still a lot better off than if a car hits you while you are walking. Accidents in which a car strikes a pedestrian are almost always bad news for the pedestrian. Even if the car is not going very fast, it is still hundreds of pounds of steel colliding with a human being. If you have been injured in a car accident involving a pedestrian, contact a car accident injury lawyer.
A Deadly Palm Beach County Crash
The accident happened at about 10:56 p.m. on July 7, 2019. Danielle Slocum, 25, was crossing Military Trail on foot, just outside the city limits of West Palm Beach. She stepped into the street near community drive; she did not cross at an intersection, nor did she use a crosswalk. Shortly after she entered the street, a car traveling north of Military Trail struck her and then fled the scene; a second car that was traveling closely behind the first one did not see her lying in the road and thus was unable to avoid hitting her. The second driver stopped and gave a statement to the police. Slocum was pronounced dead at the scene. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said that the search for the driver of the first car remains ongoing, but they have not released a description of the vehicle.
The accident that claimed Slocum’s life took place on a section of military trail that has seen many car accidents in recent years. Syed Mahbob, who owns a gas station near the site of the accident, says that he sees plenty of dangerous driving on that stretch of road; drivers routinely run red lights and do not stop to look for pedestrians. Other people who live in the area say that there is heavy pedestrian traffic on the road and that pedestrians often cross the road in a risky manner.
Data provided by West Palm Beach police show that there were almost 20 car accidents on the four miles of Military Trail between Okeechobee Boulevard and 45th Street. The area where Slocum was killed is a focus of the Vision Zero Program. The goal of the program is for West Palm Beach to be free of vehicular fatalities and car accidents causing catastrophic injuries by 2030.
Contact Smith, Ball, Báez & Prather Injury Lawyers About Car Accident Injury Cases
If you are injured in a hit-and-run accident, the driver who left the scene may face criminal charges, but you also have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit. If you have suffered a serious injury, contact Palm Beach Gardens car accident lawyers at Smith, Ball, Báez & Prather Injury Lawyers for a consultation to see if you have grounds for a lawsuit.
