A Manatee County man left a woman who fell off from the back of his pickup truck. His excuse was that he did not want to get a DUI.
The fifty-four year-old man was driving his truck with a woman standing in the bed. The woman then pounded on the cab of the truck to get the drivers attention. When the man turned around to look he swerved to the left and the woman fell from the back of the truck. The man told Florida Highway Patrol that he saw the woman fall off. Instead of stopping the man dropped his son off to check on the woman, and then continued on his way home.
The woman was airlifted to St Petersburg hospital via helicopter where she was admitted with serious injuries. When state troopers tracked the man down and asked him to explain himself he said he left because he was afraid of getting a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol.
The man was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident. After paying a $5000 bail the man was released.
Under Florida State Law, if you are to leave the scene of an accident, you may face very serious consequences. These consequences may not only involve your record but also your bank account. According to State Law you may even face jail time depending on the circumstances:
“If you are cited with leaving the scene of an accident in Florida, you can be charged with up to 6 points on your driving record, and even face license suspension, huge fines, and potential jail time depending on the circumstances.”
If the accident involves the injury of another person and driving under the influence, the offender will certainly face serious legal consequences for leaving the scene of an accident but also DUI charges and assault by a vehicle.
