We all have seen wrecks but how many of us have stopped to help or call 911.
Being responsible residents when you witness a wreck by stopping to check on the drivers and passengers as well as reporting it to police is important to all involved. It could save a life.
It is especially important to stop when one of the drivers doesn’t and he or she has left behind a seriously injured driver or pedestrian.
Recently law enforcement officers have investigated at least three hit and run wrecks in Victoria County, one went unreported for about two hours while the other two were reported immediately.
In one case witnesses were able to describe the vehicle that hit a pedestrian in a wheelchair. Within a short period of time officers tracked down the suspected car and arrested the driver.
In another case, two young people were walking along a country road and the young man was struck. The young woman with him was able to give officers a partial description of the vehicle. Unfortunately, the young man died.
A third example, a mother of four young children was struck by a vehicle and left on the side of the road. Sometime later — at least two hours — a motorist saw her on the ground, stopped and checked on her and called 911. Unfortunately, she later died of the injuries.
In each case if the driver had stopped and rendered assistance — as the law requires — medical help could have arrived sooner and possibly the two who died may have had a better chance of surviving. But we will never know if the outcome would have been different because the drivers didn’t think enough of the people they hit to stop and check on them.
Texas law requires drivers involved in wrecks to stop and check on the others involved. It is called rendering aid. A failure to do so is called failure to stop and render aid. The criminal charge can range from a misdemeanor to a felony depending on the severity of the damage and injuries.
Stopping after hitting something or someone is the humane thing to do. It may save lives.
Texas law does not require witnesses to stop and help or even give police a statement of what was seen, but again it is the humane thing to do.
When a wreck happens, a witness has the “did I just see that happen” moment, but that quickly passes, and human compassion should kick in to make people want to stop, help, and call 911 to report the wreck. The information the witness can give the officers can be vital in investigating the wreck and possibly finding the person who left the scene. And it will help in getting the injured person the medical attention they need.
The witness won’t be responsible for determining who caused the wreck, that will be left up to the police and insurance companies.
We need to look out for each other – especially pedestrians – as we drive the streets and country roads. If we see them get hit or be injured in a wreck, we need to do our civic duty and stop to help them and get police and medical help enroute to them.
It is the right thing to do. It is the humane thing to do.
Victoria Advocate
