According to My San Antonio.com, a North Texas teacher was arrested in January after a hit-and-run accident that led to the death of a six-year-old boy. The teacher turned herself in to law enforcement and has been charged with manslaughter as well as failure to stop and render aid.

Our San Antonio, TX accident attorneys are glad that the teacher did the responsible thing and turned herself in to the the police so that the family of the young boy who was killed can have closure. Hit and run accidents are problematic for many reasons, including the fact that it is difficult or even impossible to hold the responsible party civilly and criminally liable for his or her actions.

The Texas Hit and Run Accident

The 53-year-old North Texas teacher who was involved in the hit and run accident reportedly ran a red light and struck the six-year-old victim. The young victim’s mother and sister watched as the boy was hit by the car.

Running a red light is, of course, illegal and for good reason – it can cause a fatal accident. In this case, the crash was a pedestrian accident that led to the death of a child, but running a red light can also cause a crash with another vehicle that is turning or proceeding straight at a T-intersection.

Regardless of whether the crash involves a car striking a pedestrian or a car hitting another car, the driver who ran the red light is expected to stop and help those who were hurt. In fact, under Texas law, anyone who is involved in a crash that may have caused injuries must stop and render assistance to the victims. Texas drivers who are involved in a crash that causes only property damage are still expected to stop and provide their name and contact information to the person whose property has been damaged.

Because the Texas teacher both ran the red light and failed to stop, she broke several Texas laws and now must face the consequences. The fact that the accident resulted in the death of a victim also elevated the charges from injury to a child to manslaughter.

Hit and Run Accidents Complicate Matters for Victims

In this hit and run accident, the person responsible turned herself in. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Often, a person who hits and runs never comes forward and, in some cases, law enforcement is not able to solve the crime and track down the responsible party.

When a victim is involved in a hit and run, there is a lot riding on whether the perpetrator of the crime will be found. If the driver responsible for the accident who committed the crime of fleeing the scene is not identified, then the victim is left with little recourse.

Not only will the victim not get to see the person who hurt him stand trial and be punished but the victim will also be unable to file any type of civil lawsuit to obtain compensation for injuries. In such cases, car accident victims will have few options but to seek whatever compensation they can under an uninsured motorist policy that may be part of their own automobile insurance coverage.

If you’ve been injured in an accident, contact the Herrera Law Firm at 800-455-1054 for a confidential consultation.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 21st, 2013 at 3:00 pm and is filed under Car Accidents. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.