Thursday, April 02, 2009

Drunk Drivers, Hit and Run Drivers and Seatbelts

WJBK Fox Detroit: Man Severely Hurt after Hit & Run in Northville
Surveillance video (Click on the link above to view it - simply terrible) shows a white SUV rolling after a collision on Haggerty at Five Mile Road. A black truck caused the accident Tuesday around 7:00 p.m.

"He was going through the intersection at Five Mile and was just hit from the front. (That) sent him spinning and his car rolled, they say, three or four times," said Cassandra Callaghan.

Callaghan got the call a few hours later. Her father, 55-year-old David Dallas, was seriously injured. He was thrown through a window. His three grandchildren were waiting for him at the time of the crash.

According to witnesses, the driver of the truck was a white male with dark hair, possibly in his twenties. Police say he paused after the crash and they believe the suspect knew he hit someone before he took off.

"It was very clear that the driver stopped, looked and then left, which is probably the most disturbing thing to us," Callaghan said.

Even more disturbing, Callaghan's mother was hit by a drunk driver who left the scene of the accident back in December.

Dallas suffered broken bones in his back, neck and ribs. He was not wearing a seat belt.
Hopefully Mr. Dallas makes a complete recovery. I know the Callaghans -- darn good people -- so this makes it personal.

If you're in the area around Northville and you know the guy who did the hit and run, or notice the fresh damage to his truck, have him turn himself in or call police and turn the coward in.

And remember, wear your seat belt! - it reduces by far the chance of severe injury and being ejected from the car. No ifs, ands or buts. Having been in a rollover accident myself (in a Geo Prizm no less, but that's another story), the seat belt definitely saved me from being ejected and having the car roll over me, and I got through it with relatively minor injuries.

So, I pray that Mr. Dallas completely recovers and that the driver of the black truck does the right thing and turns himself in or someone else mans up and does it for him.

No comments: