Four years ago, a 20 year old woman was tragically struck and killed by a driver while crossing the street in the early morning hours. After hitting the woman, the driver stopped momentarily but then fled the scene as others arrived, even though he knew the woman was seriously hurt.
This fatal hit-and-run went unsolved for four years. Yet, last Sunday, the driver came to the home of the victim's sister and confessed to the accident. The driver asked her not to call the police and quickly left the sister's house. Luckily, the victim's sister caught the driver's license plate before he left and called the detective in charge of the case. The driver was arrested shortly thereafter and is now facing multiple charges in the fatal hit-and-run.
As a Chicago car accident attorney, I feel for her family members who had to spend years thinking the driver that killed their loved one and fled the scene would never be caught. This case highlights the unfortunate fact that some people will do whatever it takes to avoid accountability for the harm that they cause. Unlike this instance, in many cases the wrongdoer never confesses, and thus will never be held civilly and criminally liable to the victim's family. Sadly, the victim's family then cannot be compensated for their unimaginably painful loss.
