EB crash was 'hit-and-run' even though driver stopped. Why and 8 things to do after a crash
Out of the more than 4,000 motor vehicle crashes this year in Brockton, Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, Stoughton, Easton and Raynham, around 200 were reported as hit-and-runs, according to Mass.gov’s IMPACT crash data.
“Whether you have been involved in a minor crash or a more serious collision, what you do after impacts the outcome,” the East Bridgewater Police Department wrote in a Facebook post on Oct. 19.
The post was published just two days after a hit-and-run driver struck an 11-year-old girl riding her bicycle in the parking lot of an East Bridgewater elementary school, police said. The driver got out of her SUV to ask the girl if she was okay. But she was still charged with leaving the scene of a crash.
First, here's what the driver did in that case that got her arrested. Then, we're going to tell you what to do in case you ever find yourself in a similar situation.
What happened on the day of the East Bridgewater crash?
Surveillance video shows a blue SUV enter the rear parking lot of Central Elementary School in East Bridgewater in the early evening of Sunday, Oct. 15, turn around and then strike the girl just as she emerges on her bicycle from a line of bushes. The girl was pushed 60 feet along the pavement and suffered from cuts and bruises, police said.
The driver, later identified as a 62-year-old Florida woman, is not believed to have been speeding, police said.
The victim’s friend who witnessed the crash told WCVB that the woman who hit the 11-year-old asked if the victim was okay and told her to go home and shower and then left the scene.
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Why asking if victim was okay was not enough
According to East Bridgewater Police Chief Michael Jenkins, because the driver did not identify herself, exchange contact and insurance information, and stay on scene, it was classified as a hit-and-run, even though she briefly stopped to ask if the victim was okay.
The driver later turned herself into the police department and was scheduled to be summoned to court on charges of negligent operation of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident with personal injury.
What to do instead, according to the East Bridgewater Police Department
Call 911 and get to safety: “Immediately after any motor vehicle crash, further collisions are possible, especially when visibility is poor or weather conditions are bad,” the East Bridgewater Police Department wrote. “If it is unsafe and your vehicle is operable, pull it over onto the shoulder, away from the flow of traffic. If it is inoperable, turn your hazard lights on and get everybody away from the vehicle to a place of safety off the road.”
Stay on the scene and exchange information: “State law requires that you make known your name, home address, and vehicle registration number to the other parties involved in the collision,” the East Bridgewater Police Department wrote. “A person can face serious criminal charges for leaving the scene of a car accident if it is proven they were operating the vehicle, if the collision caused vehicle or property damage, injury or death, if they knew the accident had happened, and if they did not stop to exchange details.”
Report the accident to police: “State law requires that any Massachusetts car accident resulting in $1,000 worth of damage or greater must be reported to the police,” officials wrote. “After a motor vehicle crash, it is very difficult for most of us to assess whether the level of property damage meets this threshold. You should report any accident that occurs, no matter how minor it may seem.”
Keep your cool: “Car crashes are stressful, and it is easy to get upset and lose your cool,” officials wrote. “If you get into arguments with the officers or other drivers, this could be recorded and used against you at a later date. Be cooperative and answer questions to the best of your ability, not leaving out any important details.”
Document the scene: “Use your phone to take photos of evidence, such as the scene, including all vehicles, their placement, and current weather conditions, damage to all the vehicles, other property damage, any injuries, and road conditions,” East Bridgewater police wrote. “Write down everything that happened. It is crucial to do this as soon as you can; memories can quickly begin to fade and become confused.”
Gather the contact details of any witnesses: “This may include passersby, other drivers, and people in homes or shops nearby who saw the accident happen. You will need to list these witnesses when you complete the Motor Vehicle Crash Operator Report,” police wrote.
Notify your insurance company:“Notify your insurance company as soon as possible after the accident, phone your insurance company, letting them know what has happened,” police wrote. “Massachusetts is a 'no-fault' car insurance state, so regardless of who was at fault, your PIP insurance can pay your medical expenses.”
Report the accident to Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles: “The final requirement after a Massachusetts car crash is to file a motor vehicle crash operator report with the Registrar. You must do this within 5 days of any crash that caused property damage over $1,000 in value, injury, or death,” officials wrote. “You must send the completed report to your local police department and your insurance company as well.
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What are the consequences for a hit-and-run in Massachusetts?
According to the East Bridgewater Police Department, if the motor vehicle crash results in property damage alone and if it is a hit-and-run driver’s first offense, they could be fined between $20 and $200 and receive a prison sentence of between 30 days and two years.
If the hit-and-run collision resulted in injury, but not death, the at-fault driver would receive a misdemeanor with a mandatory prison sentence of between six months and two years and a fine of $500 to $1,000.
If the collision resulted in death, a driver could face a felony charge for leaving the scene, with a mandatory sentence of two and a half to 10 years in state prison and a fine between $1,000 and $2,500, or a mandatory sentence in a jail or house of correction between one to two and half years with the same fine.
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Other recent hit-and run crashes in Southeastern, Mass.
Bridgewater: Driver strikes elderly man in wheelchair
In August, a driver hit wheelchair-bound Phillip Bumpus on Main Street in Bridgewater before driving off and leaving him severely injured, police said. Bumpus has since died, on Nov. 8. His obituary said he "lost his battle to recover from injuries received after being hit by a car."
The driver who allegedly hit Bumpus, later identified as Bonnie Bowes, 61, of Bridgewater, was taken into custody on the day of the crash and charged with leaving the scene of a crash with personal injury, driving under the influence of drugs and causing serious bodily injury, negligent driving, leaving the scene of property damage and a marked lanes violation. It was not immediately known if the charges will be upgraded now that Bumpus has died.
A beloved neighborhood fixture, Bumpus loved to hang out in Bridgewater center in his motorized wheelchair prior to the crash, his cousin Joan Gambill said back in September.
West Bridgewater hit-and-run kills Raynham woman
Here's what happened in court Brockton suspect in fiery hit-and-run turns himself in
In April, a hit-and-run crash involving three vehicles on Route 24 in West Bridgewater killed Erpharo Gilbert, 46, of Raynham, according to Massachusetts State Police. The suspect, Juan Leonardo Parra Altamirano, 33, of Brockton, who fled the scened, turned himself in four days later. He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident that caused personal injury, death and property damage.
“He got scared because he is an undocumented immigrant,” an assistant district attorney for Plymouth County said at his arraignment.
According to Gilbert’s obituary, she was a wife and mother, to a son, was employed as a social worker for many years, and loved shopping and home decorating.
Hit-and-run driver injures pedestrian in Bridgewater
The next day, Dinocco was arrested at his home in Abington, where he was subsequently charged with leaving the scene of an accident with personal injury, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, improper operation of a motor vehicle, speeding at a rate greater than reasonable, and a marked lanes violation.
The 19-year-old woman who was injured in the crash was transported to an area hospital, where she was treated and later released, police said.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: What to do after car accident in wake of East Bridgewater hit-and-run
