Late Tuesday night, A woman died in a car accident near Sacramento’s Garden Highway at around 10:40 PM. Sacramento’s Fire Department responded to the scene of a reported car crash where they found a woman who was seriously injured from a collision with a passenger vehicle. The involved passenger vehicle driver was nowhere to be seen, with reports that they had fled the scene before authorities and medical first responders arrived. Once the Sacramento Fire Department arrived, they found a seriously injured woman on the scene. Later, she was pronounced dead from her injuries. Sacramento Police Department urges the public to come forward with any information about the driver involved who fled the scene instead of cooperating with authorities.
Car Accident Fatality Stats
Car accidents like the incident mentioned above sadly happen frequently in our society. Car accidents are known to be one of the most significant causes of death in the United States. According to an annual report by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), “There were 33,244 fatal motor vehicle collisions in the United States in 2019 in which 36,096 deaths occurred.” Motor vehicle accidents usually result in at least one involved party suffering severe personal injuries, which may require hospitalization and surgery, incurring high medical costs with families left footing the bill after insurance. Usually, drivers involved in these severe accidents, especially those responsible, remain on the scene after an accident to cooperate with authorities. Still, in some cases, drivers will leave the scene of an accident, committing a hit and run, leaving the other party injured and looking for answers.
Important Steps to Follow
Although the terrible situation of being involved in a hit-and-run crash may be entirely unavoidable, there are steps that individuals can take to be prepared if involved in a car accident or a hit-and-run accident. Preparing for an accident is best to avoid being stunned and confused after a collision. In a hit-and-run, the police usually respond by getting a police report of the accident from the victim. Police then use this information gathered to try and locate the other driver involved, but there are times when a hit-and-run driver is never found and charged for their crimes.
Call 911
Call 911 if you or another individual is injured to get medical assistance and file a police report. Then, call your car insurance company to file an accident claim. The insurance claims you file will serve as evidence of your injuries and could be used to identify the hit-and-run driver or gather further evidence. The information given to police will help officers potentially identify and apprehend the involved driver who fled the accident scene.
Gather as Much Evidence as Possible
By gathering as much information about the car accident as possible, you can give authorities and investigators as much information as possible to help identify the driver who committed the hit-and-run.
Essential pieces of evidence to gather:
- License plate.
- Car make, model, and color
- Damage description of the other vehicle
- The direction the other driver was headed
- Description of the driver, if possible
- Photos of accident, surroundings, and the damage done to your vehicle
- Location, date, and time
- Personal testimonies from witnesses of the accident
- Video Footage from nearby cameras
Install dash-cam video recording devices to record driving time
Countless drivers use dash-cam video recording devices like GoPro or other brands to record their travels. These dash-cams can record auto collisions. Authorities can then use video footage to identify drivers or serve as evidence to try and locate an unidentified driver if they flee from the scene of an accident.
Contact a qualified Sacramento car accident attorney to get expert advice.
Regardless of the situation, contacting a qualified car accident attorney after a collision will yield the best advice and guidance for what to do after a hit-and-run accident. Please do not wait to call. Our expert Sacramento, car accident lawyers, offer the best legal advice possible to help you obtain the legal settlement you may need to recover from injuries sustained from an accident. To speak with an attorney and take advantage of your FREE no-obligation consultation, call your Eason & Tambornini car accident attorney today at 916-438-1819 or visit our website to chat directly with an attorney.
