A couple has been charged in connection with a fatal hit-and-run auto-pedestrian crash in Weber County, Utah, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
Twenty-eight-year-old Noelle Autumn Bradbury and her 27-year-old boyfriend Cody Ray Sanders have been charged with failure to remain at the scene of a fatal accident and obstruction of justice in connection with the May crash that took the life of Harry Green, an 82-year-old man from West Haven.
During the night of May 5, Green was walking along the 4300 W. and 4000 South Roads near a construction zone. He was struck and killed by a silver Dodge Durango SUV, which fled the scene right after the accident. Pieces of the vehicle found littered on the road later allowed law enforcement officials to identify the make and model, and tips led them to the home of the couple after they were informed the vehicle was hidden behind the Bradbury-Sanders house. Sanders did eventually admit to being the driver in the fatal accident and told police he had altered evidence on the SUV, including removing blood from it. His girlfriend, Bradbury, was a passenger, and she also admitted to trying to hide evidence.
Auto-pedestrian crashes remain an issue
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), auto-pedestrian accidents continue to cause thousands of injuries and deaths annually (https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/pedestrian_safety/index.html). In 2015, for example, 5,376 pedestrians died in traffic accidents across the country, which works out to one death every 1.6 hours. Close to another 129,000 pedestrians were hurt in these types of accidents, and research has found that pedestrians are 1.5 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in an accident per trip taken. Older adults and children seem to have the greatest risk, with 19 percent of the fatalities and 13 percent of the accident victims being pedestrians aged 65 and older. One in every five children under the age of 16 who died over the course of that year was killed in traffic accidents.
Outside of age, other risk factors in pedestrian accident deaths include speed and location. Naturally, the faster a car goes, the more severe a pedestrian’s injuries are likely to be when they are struck. Additionally, the CDC reports that pedestrian deaths occurred most at night in urban areas without intersections. Alcohol is cited as a third factor, with 15 percent of drivers in all fatal auto-pedestrian accidents having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher.
The CDC recommends that pedestrians carry flashlights and wear reflective clothing items to increase their visibility in dark areas. They also advise crossing at an intersection or crosswalk whenever possible, and if a pedestrian can’t walk on a sidewalk or designated pathway, he or she should always walk facing traffic and on the shoulder.
Pedestrian-auto accidents can occur for many reasons, including driver error, driver inattentiveness and reckless behavior. If you have been injured in an auto-pedestrian accident, you do have rights. Contact an experienced pedestrian or car accident lawyer Denver CO relies on about your case as soon as possible.
Thanks to our friend and contributors from Richard J. Banta, P.C. for their insight into auto accident cases.