A 23-year-old New York man was sentenced to five years of probation on Sept. 18 for leaving the scene of a traffic accident that claimed the life of a motorcyclist. The Rome resident will spend the first six months of his sentence at the Oneida County Jail according to reports. He was originally charged in May with leaving the scene of an accident involving death or serious injury and reckless driving.
The accident took place on the eastbound lanes of the New York State Thruway near the Town of Westmoreland on May 27, 2017. Police reports indicate that a motorcycle carrying two people struck the rear passenger side of a Hyundai sedan that changed lanes directly in front of it. Emergency services personnel arriving at the scene found both the motorcycle’s rider and passenger badly injured after being ejected in the crash. The rider was rushed to a nearby trauma center, but he succumbed to his injuries five days later.
The Hyundai is said to have left the scene without slowing down. Police soon located a vehicle matching the description given by eyewitnesses with obvious and recent damage to its rear passenger side. The vehicle was pulled over on Furnace Street in the nearby Town of Westmoreland according to police reports. When passing sentence, the judge suggested that the man could have avoided sanctions completely had he not fled the scene.
While the police should be commended for identifying this dangerous individual quickly, it remains a sad reality that most hit-and-run drivers are never apprehended. However, this does not mean that their victims are unable to pursue compensation. When the individuals responsible for causing traffic accidents in New York are unidentified, experienced personal attorneys could help those injured to file a claim under the state’s Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Act.
Source: CNY Central, “Rome man sentenced for leaving scene of fatal motorcycle crash on thruway last year”, Sept. 18, 2018
Source: New York State Department of Financial Services, “Article 52 of the New York Insurance Law”, accessed on Sept. 19, 2018