On November 4, Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Devon Lindsey was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding his motorcycle on Old Gillead Road. Lindsey, 26, was a five-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office and was reporting for duty in the early morning hours when his motorcycle was struck by a Toyota sedan.
The driver left the scene of the accident. 30-year-old Jessica Ann Goodwin was later arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a collision involving death. Goodwin was denied bail and remains in jail pending her next court appearance in January.
Lindsey left behind a wife, two sons, and a daughter on the way.
Motorcyclists are at Serious Risk in Collisions
Because motorcyclists don’t have the protections drivers and passengers in other types of vehicles do–protections like a metal cage surrounding the occupants, seat belts, and air bags–they are at greater risk in collisions that those traveling in passenger vehicles. In the most recent year reported, 147 South Carolina motorcyclists were killed in traffic. In the vast majority of these crashes, the collision was between a motorcycle and a larger vehicle such as a car, pick-up truck or SUV. Another 1,429 motorcycle crashes resulted in injuries.
Hit and run can significantly increase the risk of death, especially for vulnerable road users like motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians. When the other driver leaves the scene without reporting the collision, it generally takes longer for the accident victim to be found, meaning a delay in emergency response and medical care. In some cases, that delay can mean the difference between life and death.
Unfortunately, hit-and-run accidents are more common than you might expect. In October, another driver was arrested after leaving the scene of the accident that killed a motorcyclist in Johnston County. And, just a few days ago, 35-year-old Brittany Lawson was arrested after allegedly hitting two bicyclists and a motorcyclist while operating a stolen van under the influence of alcohol, then fleeing the scene. These are not isolated incidents.
A AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study spanning 11 years revealed that an average of 27 people in South Carolina are killed by hit-and-run drivers each year. In the most recent five years reported in the study, that average jumped to 32 hit-and-run fatalities annually.
Get Help After a Charleston Hit-and-Run
You might think that you have no way to collect compensation after you’ve been injured in a hit-and-run collision or lost a loved one to a driver who flees the scene. That isn’t necessarily true. An investigation may turn up the identify of the hit and run driver–all three in the stories above were identified and arrested. In that case, you can typically file a claim with the driver’s insurance carrier just as you would have if they’d stayed at the scene and provided their insurance information.
If the driver is never identified, or is identified and is uninsured, you may be able to collect compensation through your own underinsured motorist coverage.
Attorney Frank Hartman helps injured people, including victims of hit-and-run accidents, get the compensation they deserve. Call us today to learn more about how we can help.