Alert System Aims to Identify Hit and Run Drivers in L.A.
According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the last several years have been marked by a steady increase in fatal hit-and-run accidents on America’s roadways.
The data for Los Angeles is particularly staggering, with roughly 20,000 such collisions occurring annually. In 2014 alone, 27 individuals were killed and 144 seriously injured in hit-and-run events across Los Angeles. In an effort to bring more perpetrators of these crimes to justice, city officials are launching an alert system designed to broadly disseminate information to the public about vehicles suspected of being involved in hit-and-runs.
Details of L.A.’s new alert and reward system
City officials have just unveiled the alert system in conjunction with a program of rewards intended to encourage citizens to identify drivers involved in hit-and-run collisions resulting in harm to people or property. Only one-fifth of 2014’s hit-and-run cases have been solved, and the Los Angeles Police Department is motivated to dramatically increase its success rate in this area. To that end, a mass notification structure is being implemented that is akin to the Amber Alert system used to locate missing children. Information about the make, model and year of vehicles involved in hit-and-run events will be blasted to the public by way of social media and also sent to taxi drivers and auto body repair shops where damaged vehicles may be brought.
The financial incentive component of the new program includes standing reward amounts for information that leads to the arrest as well as the conviction of drivers who have fled the scene of accidents in which they hit another person or property. $50,000 will be the reward amount in fatal collisions, $25,000 for serious injury accidents, $5,00 for less serious injury accidents and $1,000 in cases of property damage alone. Money for these rewards will be taken from the City of Los Angeles General Fund, and the use of social medial to distribute information on vehicles suspected of involvement in crashes will cost nothing at all.
Hit-and-run accidents can prove catastrophic
Serious injury and death stemming from hit-and-run car accidents are all too common in the greater Los Angeles area. In fact, the region has earned the unfortunate title of “hit-and-run capital of the nation” due to the alarming frequency with which such incidents have occurred in recent years. In addition to being potentially deadly to victims, such events can produce catastrophic car accident injuries including permanent spinal damage, broken bones, burns and neurological damage. Such life-altering harm can wreak havoc on entire families and their ability to carry on and lead a normal life.
Los Angeles hit and run lawsuit information
While these types of accidents can have horrific consequences to those impacted by them, the law provides avenues of recourse to help victims begin the process of healing and to compensate them for the damage done. If you have been injured by a hit-and-run driver who has ultimately been identified, a car accident lawsuit in Los Angeles may be your best option to secure the financial recovery you and your family are likely to need.
For over two decades, Ellis Law has provided clients across Los Angeles with unrivaled legal advocacy and built a track record of successful outcomes. We pledge to fight for every dollar of compensation to which you are entitled, which may include payment for lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering and more.
To schedule your no-cost initial consultation, contact our Los Angeles car accident attorneys at 310-641-3335.