Deadly Phoenix pedestrian accident leads to felony charges

An Arizona car vs. pedestrian accident in July, 2010 has left one person dead and another facing a potential prison sentence, according to AZCentral.com.

The driver accused of causing the accident is a 29-year-old Phoenix man who allegedly lost control of a Cadillac last summer, crashing it into a crowd of pedestrians crossing the street. One of the five injured was killed in the accident that took place near Bell Road, west of Arizona 51. The at fault motorist reportedly left the scene of the Phoenix accident without checking on any of the accident victims, in violation of Arizona law.

Arizona law mandates that any driver of a vehicle involved in an accident that results in injury to or death of a person must stop the car at the scene of the crash and remain at the scene until cleared by officials to leave. A driver who fails to meet these requirements and also caused the crash is guilty of a Class 3 felony.

Witnesses reported seeing the Cadillac speeding down Bell Road around 36th Street where the driver appeared to lose control. After running down a group of pedestrians crossing the street, the car stopped and several occupants of the vehicle fled in different directions.

The Cadillac passengers later turned themselves in to the police, but the driver failed to do so and was later arrested at his girlfriend’s house. He faces several charges, including leaving the scene of the accident. He could face up to 10 years in prison when his case goes to trial in March.

Cases like this usually involve a civil claim in addition to the pending criminal charges. It has not been reported if the pedestrian victim’s family has retained a Phoenix personal injury attorney or if a civil lawsuit has been filed.