OLDSMAR, NY- The tbreporter.com reports that a pedestrian from Dunedin died on Tuesday, August 28, 2018, after he was struck by two vehicles. The victim, 64-year-old Eric Feinstein was killed at the scene. The accident took place at about 10:24 p.m.Police say that Feinstein was attempting to cross the road at the intersection of St. […]
OLDSMAR, NY- The tbreporter.com reports that a pedestrian from Dunedin died on Tuesday, August 28, 2018, after he was struck by two vehicles. The victim, 64-year-old Eric Feinstein was killed at the scene.
The accident took place at about 10:24 p.m.Police say that Feinstein was attempting to cross the road at the intersection of St. Petersburg Drive and Tampa Road. The first vehicle to hit the victim was a 2010 Toyota Four Runner that was traveling westbound on Tampa Road. The driver of the Four Runner was identified as 55-year-old Mark Coomes. Police reports indicate that Coomes had a green light at the time of the crash. The authorities are certain which direction Feinstein was traveling in or whether he was in a crosswalk when he was struck.
After the Four Runner hit the victim, a second vehicle also struck him. The driver of the second vehicle fled the scene. Police have not yet located or identified the second driver. No description of the hit-and-run driver was released. Coomes is not suspected of speeding or driving under the influence. Investigators do not know whether the initial impact with the Four Runner or the second driver actually killed the victim.
Police are searching for the second driver.
Hit-and-run accidents are frighteningly common in the United States. The AAA reported that 2016 was the worst ever year for hit-and-run fatalities. Across the United States, 2,049 people were killed by hit-and-run drivers in 2016. Many other hit-and-run accidents took place that year as well. Hundreds of thousands of people were injured by drivers that fled the scene.
In many cases, drivers who flee after causing an accident to manage to escape justice. States have taken steps to reduce the number of hit-and-run drivers, including heightened penalties and programs designed to aid officers in apprehending hit-and-run drivers.
