The stupidity of some drivers never ceases to amaze me.
Police in Florida arrested a reckless teen who saved them investigative work when he uploaded a video of his crime spree that he called “Me Driving Like an Idiot” to YouTube last week (since removed).
Here you can see Robert Kelley causing two accidents involving four cars before he was seriously injured and had to be airlifted to a hospital. From his hospital bed he uploaded a hand-held video showing him weaving in and out of traffic, running a red light and exceeding the speed limit to a booming stereo before he slammed into the back of another car. The video ended as Kelley leaves the scene of the first accident and continues on to crash into three more cars stopped at a red light minutes later.
Police arrested Kelley last Friday. They initially delayed taking the teen into custody due to the severity of his injuries.He faces two felony counts of leaving the scene of an accident with injuries, reckless driving, and driving without a license. Kelley has never even been issued a driver’s license.
Hit-and-run accident cases are a lot more complicated than accidents where the defendant stops and provides information. If police are unable to locate the drivers, tracking down the car is difficult, to say the least. Sometimes good Samaritans who witness hit-and-run accidents will follow the defendant and provide information to the police, but in too many cases, the injured plaintiffs are never able to find them to pursue a claim or legal action.
On several occasions, I have had to send investigators to hospitals to interview defendants in DUI and hit-and-run cases before they go to jail and become much harder, if impossible, to question. Last year we tracked a young man down and served him with lawsuit papers at 6:00 a.m. as he was being released from the jail in Hood County (Granbury) for an unrelated assault charge and later settled the case for full value.
I recommend that all drivers add Uninsured Motorist Protection coverage to their auto insurance policies to protect them in the event that they are hit by a hit-and-run driver or by any driver who does not carry any or enough liability insurance. UM coverage covers you in both situations and will pay for repairs to your vehicle, medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
If you’ve been involved in a hit-and-run accident, call me immediately at 817-885-8000. We will immediately start working to track down the other driver and work to get you the maximum amount of money possible.