One of the most appalling crimes on the road is when a driver hits someone and then flees the scene without getting help for the victim. That happened recently in Atlanta, Georgia, when the driver of a Chevy Malibu hit a cyclist. The crash was fatal for the cyclist, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The cyclist, 41, was on a sidewalk by Cleveland Avenue. Around 1:00 a.m., on a recent Sunday morning, the Chevy Malibu skidded off the road and hit the cyclist. According to a witness, it had been swerving before losing control.
The suspect, 32, was arrested. The charges against him are first-degree vehicular homicide, failure to maintain lane and leaving the scene of the accident. That third charge officially designates the incident as a hit-and-run.
The suspect was booked into the jail in Fulton County. He was granted a $21,000 bond at a first hearing appearance, according to a sheriff’s office spokeswoman. Yet, at the time of that announcement, he remained incarcerated.
The suspect had fled the scene by foot after hitting the victim. He left his Chevy Malibu behind, allowing police officers to ID the car. The suspect was tracked by a K-9 officer, though the trail was lost.
Police caught the suspect by the following day, allowing for his arrest. They took him into custody when he was getting treatment at a hospital. It is unknown what injuries he suffered in the crash.
Of course, the family and friends of the cyclist are mourning his loss. In view of how the incident happened, the cyclist bore no responsibility for the incident that took his life. His family may well pursue a legal case, as families in such circumstances often do.
Source: Previously published article on Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Suspect charged in fatal hit-and-run crash with Atlanta cyclist,” July 20, 2015