MANATEE COUNTY, FL – According to Mysuncoast.com, a driver fleeing the scene of an accident in Bradenton drove through a red traffic signal and struck another vehicle. The driver of the other vehicle, an 18-year-old girl, was killed in the second crash. The Florida Highway Patrol reports that Mr. Waters, 23, of Bradenton was operating […]
MANATEE COUNTY, FL – According to Mysuncoast.com, a driver fleeing the scene of an accident in Bradenton drove through a red traffic signal and struck another vehicle. The driver of the other vehicle, an 18-year-old girl, was killed in the second crash.
The Florida Highway Patrol reports that Mr. Waters, 23, of Bradenton was operating an Acura Integra at about 11:30 at night. The vehicle had reportedly been involved in another crash earlier in the evening, and Waters had fled the scene, driving away in a “reckless manner.” The Acura went the light and collided with Ms. Mobley’s Chevy Tahoe. Mobley, 18, died in the crash. A passenger in the Tahoe, Ms. Laws, 18, was severely injured. Both teens were ejected from their vehicle in the collision.
The Acura then traveled forward until it struck a barbed wire fence and then a power box. Waters suffered critical injuries as did a passenger in the vehicle, Mr. Matias, 13. A third person in the Acura, Ms. Bell, 17, sustained only minor injuries.
Police are still investigating the crash and state that charges are currently pending.
Hit-and-run crashes are increasingly common across the United States, according to the AAA. Drivers who leave the scene of accidents often are already violating another law. These drivers are more likely to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. It is likely that many drivers panic and flee to try to avoid being caught for the primary offense, and in turn commit another crime. As the number of hit-and-run drivers increases, many states have created harsher penalties for fleeing the scene of a car accident.