Updated on: 3/9/2020
Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver after a 17-year-old high school student was struck in a crosswalk by a Jeep SUV near Mariner High School Monday.
According to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, the accident occurred Monday morning near the intersection of 124th Street Southwest and Fourth Avenue West in Everett, near the Mariner High School campus. Deputies told reporters that the Jeep was turning northbound onto Fourth Avenue when it struck the boy, who was in the crosswalk at the time, and sped off.
Witnesses told first responders they saw the Jeep head northbound on Meridian Ave S towards 120th Street SW but could not keep up with it in traffic. The student was taken to nearby Providence Hospital to be evaluated for his injuries, and there was no information available regarding his condition.
Legal Liability For A Hit-And-Run Accident
The driver responsible for causing this accident has likely only made matters worse for themselves by fleeing the scene of the collision. The vehicle came out of 124th Street and headed north, passing 120th Street as they fled. This is an interesting detail given that 120th and 124th serve as the northern and southern ends of the Mariner High School campus. Since the driver was exiting the campus near 124th during the morning time on a weekday when the collision occurred, there is a high likelihood that they are affiliated with the school in some way or another.
Also, several people witnessed the vehicle involved in the collision flee, and one person even tried to keep up with the vehicle until it disappeared in traffic. That means there is a decent chance someone got a description of the vehicle and/or driver, and there is also a chance that someone may have been able to record the license plate number.
Legal liability for a hit-and-run collision is difficult to argue, assuming that the police are able to locate the driver. In addition to being legally responsible for any damages they may have caused, the driver who fled the scene is likely to face criminal charges over their actions.
The award-winning auto accident attorneys at Davis Law Group encourage anyone with information about the driver responsible for this collision to call 9-1-1 or report the information to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.