There have been two notable hit-and-run crashes this past week on the Atlanta roads. One caused absolute gridlock on GA-400/southbound at Lenox Road. A car got flipped on its side. One person died and four others went to the hospital. Police say that another car involved left the scene and they have yet to locate it. After a nearly three-hour investigation and cleanup, police reopened the road and Wednesday’s evening drive eventually returned to its normal bad backups.
Tuesday’s hit and run crime was even more heartbreaking. Gwinnett Police arrested 44-year-old Gilma J. Ordonez-Guevara after she backed out of a driveway on Memorial Lane in Lawrenceville that afternoon and accidentally ran over her 23-month-old granddaughter, Lerssy Leyva. Police say she brought the child into the house, then left scene and walked back later. They are charging Ordonez-Guevara with hit and run, obstruction of a law enforcement officer and driving without a license.
In either situation, the problems drastically decrease if the offending drivers stay and face the music. In the GA-400 crash, police have not even said that the fleeing driver in the Honda was the cause of the wreck. The Lawrenceville death is a tragic accident that unfortunately has happened to many families. There was no criminal act, until the grandmother allegedly left the scene.
We all share this ecosystem that is the metro Atlanta roadways. We have a responsibility to everyone involved to face the consequences when we cause a crash. And we also legally have to stay at a crash scene, regardless of our role. The problem instantly compounds when we get scared and flee. It almost always does in any situation.
The reasons people leave crash scenes vary. Sometimes they caused the wreck and don’t want the ticket or other charges. Sometimes there are warrants out or the offending driver has illegal cargo in the vehicle.
But one major reason drivers are in crashes and then leave is that they are unlicensed. Compared to the others, this seems like the easiest problem to rectify. I have known people that have driven for years without a license and have gotten in serious trouble when they finally got caught. Folks, if you don’t have a license, don’t get behind the wheel. That lack of trepidation alone can decrease the instances of hit-and-run wrecks.
Of course, immigration status is another reason people may choose to flee a crash and that entire issue is far beyond the shores of this column. But tack “crash accountability” onto the long list of reasons for immigration reform.
The bottom line here is that leaving the scene of a crash, no matter how big or small, is not worth the gains. The act at the very least makes one a criminal and they now are living a life on the run. Getting caught then adds charges to whatever trouble one would have been if they had stayed. And then there’s the guilt that shackles the offender - a prison of conscience - even if they elude the cops.
Be a good citizen and always stay at the scene of the crash.
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