Details Are Released of Hit and Run Truck that Injured Sailor in Portsmouth

Hit and run accidents are among the most despicable that we deal with as injury lawyers who work with clients in the City of Portsmouth and the rest of Virginia.

There are a number of reasons why drivers will flee an accident scene, none of them excusable. Often a hit and run driver may be drunk or he or she may not have a valid license or have something else to hide.

I was appalled to read about how a sailor was walking back to the Naval barracks in Portsmouth when he was struck by a light colored truck. WAVY.com reported on how the truck driver left the accident scene.

Police have now released the first images of the truck they say was involved in the incident over a week ago at the intersection of Elm Avenue and George Washington Highway. Police said the Navy man was leaving the 7-Eleven there and walking back to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard barracks when he was hit by the truck

The impact of this crash was so extreme, it threw the sailor into the air and was dragged by the truck. The driver didn’t even stop before continuing down Elm Avenue, according to police reports,

I was relieved to read in the Navy report that Lt Cmdr Cragg, with the USS Abraham Lincoln told 10 On Your Side, the victim was released from the hospital this week. When pedestrians are hit by trucks, the consequences can often be very severe. Last month a young lady from Suffolk was killed when she was hit by an alleged hit-and-run driver on Portsmouth Boulevard near Taylor Road in Chesapeake. Police later charged a 72-year-old from Portsmouth with DUI and hit and run.

There is never any excuse for driving away from an accident scene, even if you are not at fault. Hit and run drivers are usually tracked down and arrested by the police. If that at-fault driver who left the scene is not tracked down or if a driver has no auto insurance, you must look to uninsured motorist insurance for compensation — coverage carried by the owner of the car you were in when you were hurt.

All Virginia policies have this UM coverage that’s equal to the coverage you have to protect other people you injure, unless you sign away this coverage. If you are injured by a hit-and-run driver, or if you lose a loved one, call Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers at 757.455.0077 or see CooperHurley.com