Woman Fatally Hit by Multiple Vehicles, Two of Which Fled the Scene in Naples, Florida

FLORIDA- The naplesherald.com* reports that a woman was killed in LeHigh Acres at about 9:11 p.m. on Tuesday, September 4, 2018 when she was hit by three vehicles as she attempted to cross Homestead Road. The victim was identified as Lorraine Louise Miller, 50. Miller is listed as transient.

The three vehicles were northbound on Homestead Road and all three struck Miller. A 2013 Hyundai Sonata stopped, but the other two fled from the scene of the crash. Police are investigating the incident and are seeking information about the hit-and-run drivers. Charges have not yet been filed against the driver of the Sonata.

The AAA reports** that hit-and-run drivers caused 2,049 fatalities in the United States in 2016. The high number of fatalities made 2016 the deadliest year in history for hit-and-run crashes. Hit-and-run drivers also cause hundreds of thousands of non-fatal accidents every year which leave behind injury victims and damaged property. Pedestrians are the most likely victims of drivers who flee the scene.

Drivers choose to leave the scene of crashes in many cases because they are drunk and hoping to avoid steep penalties that they would face for causing injuries or deaths while driving under the influence.***The penalties for leaving the site of a crash have been increased in many places to deter drivers from committing hit-and-runs. The prison time for hit-and-runs can range from 6 months to up to 30 years. States have also put in place alert programs to help gather information necessary to catch hit-and-run drivers.

*https://naplesherald.com/2018/09/05/woman-struck-and-killed-by-multiple-vehicles-in-hit-and-run/
**http://aaafoundation.org/hit-and-run-crashes-prevalence-contributing-factors-and-countermeasures/
***https://aaafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/18-0058_Hit-and-Run-Brief_FINALv2.pdf