HEMPSTEAD, NY – According to Longisland.com, a 59-year-old man was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Hempstead, New York. The crash took place on Monday, January 14, 2019, at about 7:23 in the morning. Police reports indicate that the victim was in front of the Pit Stop Gas Station on Grand Avenue when […]
Fatal hit and run accident
HEMPSTEAD, NY – According to Longisland.com, a 59-year-old man was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Hempstead, New York. The crash took place on Monday, January 14, 2019, at about 7:23 in the morning.
Police reports indicate that the victim was in front of the Pit Stop Gas Station on Grand Avenue when he was fatally struck by a dark-colored SUV. The SUV then fled the scene and drove south on Grand Avenue.
The victim was taken to the South Nassau Communities Hospital where he was declared dead.
Police are seeking information regarding the crash.
Hit-and-run crashes reached a record level high in 2016 when 2049 people died in crashes involving a driver who fled the scene. According to the AAA, the numbers are the highest ever recorded since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) started keeping records on motor vehicle fatalities in 1975. The number of hit-and-runs in 2016 was 62 percent higher than the number seen in 2009.
The majority of victims in these types of crashes are either pedestrians or cyclists. About 65 percent of the victims fell into these two categories and a full fifth of all pedestrian deaths involved hit-and-run drivers.
These crashes are most likely to occur at times and in places where the driver is likely to be able to escape unseen. The AAA says the most likely time for a hit-and-run crash is between 12 a.m. and 4 a.m.
Whether or not a driver is at fault for the accident, there are steep penalties for leaving the scene of an accident. While it is difficult to determine the motive in many hit-and-run crashes because drivers are often never apprehended, many of these drivers tend to be violating a traffic law by driving without a license or driving under the influence.
