December 4, 2014
Richmond, Va.
A woman was taken to VCU Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in the 4000 block of Forest Hill Avenue early Thursday morning.
The accident occurred when the victim got out of her vehicle after stopping in a travel lane. A juvenile riding in the back seat remained in the vehicle and was uninjured.
Additional details related to the hit-and-run driver were not immediately available.
Under Virginia law, drivers involved in an accident are required to stop their vehicles as close as possible to the scene of the accident as soon as reasonably possible. All parties must then report any injures, names of those involved, addresses of those involved, all drivers’ license and vehicle registration numbers to state or local law enforcement.
Furthermore, drivers involved in an accident are required to provide reasonable assistance to any person(s) injured in the accident, including taking the injured person to a physician, doctor or hospital if it appears medically necessary or is requested by the injured person.
If injures prevent compliance with any of the above requirements, drivers involved in an accident must satisfy them as soon as reasonably possible. Thus, waiting to report the accident until a week after being released from the hospital would likely be unreasonable under the law.
As is the case here, hit-and-run drivers who cause injury, death, or more than $1,000 in property damages may face up to 10 years in prison. A passenger in a hit-and-run vehicle who does not report this type of accident may also face up to 5 years in prison.