Kings Park School District Loses Gym Teacher Who Sustained Fatal Injuries in Hit-and-Run Accident
Kings Park fatal pedestrian accident
KINGS PARK, NEW YORK – According to online news articles published by newyork.cbslocal.comand abc7ny.com, a 37-year-old Kings Park School District gym teacher and coach was killed in a Long Island hit-and-run accident.
A 37-year-old Kings Park School District gym teacher and coach sustained fatal injuries in a St. James hit-and-run accident when he was jogging on the shoulder along southbound Lake Avenue. The accident happened mid-day on a Sunday when a 2014 Nissan sedan, driven by a 32-year-old man, struck the Kings Park teacher. The teacher was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
The driver fled the scene of the accident with a smashed windshield and was later pulled over in Manorville and arrested near Exit 69 on the Long Island Expressway. He is now facing charges of leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Court documents reveal that the 32-year-old hit-and-run driver’s license was revoked in 2015 following a DWI conviction.
Family members, students, and friends are all mourning the loss of the 37-year-old victim who was a gym teacher and soccer coach at a Kings Park middle school and was a baseball coach at the high school. The gym teacher and coach is survived by his wife and three young children.
How Often Are Hit-and-Run Drivers Caught?
Hit-and-run accidents that have left victims fatally injured have been on the rise over the past decade. A study conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reveals that in 2018, more than 2,000 people were killed in hit-and-run accidents nationwide, a number that increased by 62 percent since 2009 when hit-and-run accidents were on a downward trend. Most hit-and-run fatalities involve pedestrians and bicyclists.
An unfortunate reality of hit-and-run accidents is that many drivers are not caught. However, with advances in technology (such as the prevalence of cameras posted along streets and intersections), many hit-and-run drivers cannot elude police for long. Additionally, depending on the time of day a hit-and-run accident happens, there is likely to be at least one witness who can provide police with the type of car involved in a hit-and-run accident, and a description of the driver’s appearance (if possible).
Damage to a hit-and-run vehicle is also a key factor in catching the driver as well as the conduct of a driver fleeing the scene of an accident (i.e., speeding on the highway with a smashed windshield may raise red flags to fellow motorists). Overall, police are doing a much better job of catching hit-and-run drivers and holding them accountable for causing needless injuries and deaths to others.
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