Police Seek Man in Fatal I-664 Hit-and-Run Crash in Hampton

I was appalled to read about a fatal I-664 hit-and-run crash in Hampton that resulted in the death of a woman and injuries to two children.

It appears the driver of the car they were traveling in ran off the road and the driver fled the scene, leaving his passengers injured.

The wreck led to the death of 24-year-old Jovonne Champaign Lowther from 16^th Street in Newport News, reported the Daily Press.

The single-vehicle crash was reported at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday on I-664 just south of Power Plant Parkway in Hampton.

Virginia State Police reported the driver lost control of a Ford Explorer SUV which ran off the interstate and flipped over in a ditch. The female passenger who died was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected. She was transported to Riverside Medical Center in Newport News but later died of her injuries.

Three other people were injured in the Explorer. They were a 29-year-old woman and children aged 3 and 5. They were also transported to Riverside where their injuries were described as non-life threatening.

The driver of the SUV fled the scene, according to reports. Police blame reckless driving and a failure to maintain control of the Ford Explorer. It’s not known if alcohol was a factor in the fatal I-664 hit-and-run crash in Hampton.

                                                                                                   Bill O’Mara of Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers talks about the rights of passengers

Our thoughts are with the family of the victim and those who were injured in this crash. It’s always appalling when careless or reckless driving injures passengers. It’s even worse when a driver fails to take responsibility and flees an accident scene.

Earlier this year, another SUV rollover crash in Hampton injured two children. The children were ejected on I-64 after a woman driving a 2004 Ford Expedition attempted to avoid traffic in front of her but hit a car. The driver was later charged over the accident.

Rollover crashes are the most lethal types of accidents on the highways of Virginia. They are even more likely to be fatal than head-on collisions. People involved often sustain head injuries. The risk of death is elevated when a driver or a passenger is not wearing a seatbelt.

In Virginia, the law requires everyone under age 18 to be properly secured in a safety belt or child safety seat no matter where they are in the vehicle. The driver is responsible for making sure this happens. In addition, Virginia law requires everyone in the front seat of vehicles to wear a seat belt, states the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

Although it’s the law to wear a seatbelt in Virginia, the fact a car accident victim was not wearing a safety device, will not bar a personal injury lawsuit or a lawsuit in the case of a wrongful death.

Passengers who are injured due to the negligence of a driver may have grounds to sue the at-fault driver for causing a wreck. For detailed legal advice about your situation, call our Hampton personal injury lawyers for a free consultation at (757) 455-0077.