Family members are trying to understand why someone would run down a person and drive away, leaving them for dead. Friends remember the victim of a hit-and-run accident as a good man, and co-workers described him as a popular worker. At the accident scene, many people gathered amid a growing memorial to honor their late friend and colleague. In New Jersey and across the country, car accidents involving pedestrians are often fatal.
The victim had just left his job at FedEx where he worked the overnight shift and was waiting for a bus to go home. An eyewitness from a convenience store across that street said the man was standing at the bus stop when he was struck. The impact of the crash sent the man flying for almost a block. He died at the scene.
A Jersey City teenager has been arrested as the suspected driver in the crash. Authorities said the teen was behind the wheel of a stolen SUV that was involved in a police chase and subsequent car crash. Multiple charges include death by auto and aggravated manslaughter, receiving stolen property, assault by auto, resisting arrest and leaving the scene of an accident.
Car accidents resulting in death can affect families for years to come, and the financial strain of funeral expenses may be a burden for this family. In New Jersey, an attorney can work with the family to determine whether the victim had uninsured coverage under a motor vehicle or homeowners insurance policy that may cover circumstances where the at-fault driver was operating a stolen vehicle. A lawyer can also help surviving family members investigate the circumstances of the accident to identify potential defendants for a wrongful death claim.
Source: pix11.com, “Teen arrested in hit-and-run death of deaf man in Jersey City ID’d: prosecutor“, Ashley Soley-Cerro and Magee Hickey, Jan. 26, 2018