Most injuries are minor, but some crashes result in very serious harm to drivers, passengers and pedestrians, leading to significant medical problems, hospital bills, car repair costs and hardships like losing access to transportation.
Just last month, an 11-year-old boy suffered serious injuries after a hit-and-run crash in southeast Dayton, and a 68-year-old woman was killed in a hit/skip crash in Dayton’s McCook Field area.
Authorities say motorists often flee crash scenes because they are unlicensed, intoxicated or uninsured; have outstanding warrants; are driving a stolen vehicle; or fleeing a separate crime.
“If you are involved in an accident — even if it’s your fault — it’s an accident and if you’re not drunk, if you are not under the influence or drugs and you’re not fleeing from another crime, well then it’s all to your advantage to stay,” said Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. “Generally it’s a traffic matter or a civil matter, and when you flee, it becomes a criminal matter.”
Lots of incidents
Since Jan. 1, 2021, there have been nearly 23,000 hit-and-run crashes in Butler, Clark, Champaign, Greene, Miami, Montgomery and Warren counties, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol data analyzed by this newspaper.
Patrol data show those crashes injured about 4,000 people. Most people suffered minor injuries, but more than 235 collisions resulted in very serious injuries, including the deaths of 50 people.
Statewide, there have been more than 165,000 hit-and-run crashes since the start of 2021.
Hit-and-run crashes have declined for multiple consecutive years across Ohio and in Montgomery, Greene, Clark and Butler counties. Officials say this corresponds with an overall decline in traffic crashes.
Hit/skip incidents fell last year in Champaign County after increasing the prior year, and last year they were flat in Warren County and increased in Miami County.
Tragic cases
In July, a 9-year-old girl and multiple pedestrians were struck by an SUV as they were crossing Wayne Avenue in Dayton.
A Hummer dragged the young girl and her bicycle about half a mile down the road, sending sparks flying into the air. The girl suffered severe injuries and lost her left foot and part of her leg.
The driver fled but was followed by people who witnessed the crash.
The suspect, 55-year-old Jeffrey Atkinson, was arrested by police outside a bar he owns in East Dayton. He was later charged with aggravated vehicular assault, driving while intoxicated and other offenses.
Earlier this month, 68-year-old April Cartwright was killed on her way to work after a 2011 Mazda ran a red light at Webster Street and Stanley Avenue in Dayton and smashed into her vehicle.
Police said video footage helped identify the driver — a 19-year-old who climbed out of the Mazda and fled on foot. Police said they believe speed and intoxication may have played a role in the crash and the suspect has never had a valid driver’s license.
Eleven days after that fatal crash, an 11-year-old boy who was riding his bike on Pritz Avenue in southeast Dayton was struck by a Ford Fusion. The boy was tossed from his bike, hit the car windshield and landed in the road. Police said the boy suffered serious injuries, and the driver of the Ford fled.
Also this year, a bicyclist in Huber Heights was killed by a hit-and-run driver, two drivers were seriously injured after a hit-and-run rollover crash in Washington Twp. and a pedestrian was hurt in a hit/skip in Eaton.
Why people run
Montgomery County Prosecutor Heck — who is prosecuting Atkinson, the bar owner — said drivers involved in hit-and-run crashes often have outstanding warrants or they are driving drunk or high or they decide to run because they were driving a stolen vehicle.
Heck said other times drivers flee because they do not have a license or insurance or they have a suspended license. Sometimes, motorists run away from the scene of a crash because they were already fleeing a separate crime scene.
Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck said many hit-and-run crashes can be attributed to “secondary offenses,” like driving too fast, following too closely or taking corners too sharply or at a high rate of a speed.
Some motorists flee a crash scene because they were responsible for the wreck because they were racing or they blew through a stop sign or a red light.
Penalties
Authorities said it’s wrong to leave a crash scene because the other people involved might need medical attention and help. Fleeing and not reporting a serious crash right away could mean the difference between life and death for a crash victim.
Many crashes would only result in a traffic citation if the driver of the at-fault vehicle would have stayed on scene, Streck said. He said leaving the scene results in additional misdemeanor charges.
Streck noted that leaving a crash scene when a driver knows the wreck caused an injury or death can result in the motorist facing second-degree felony charges.
“In some cases, drivers have fled the scene when they were not even the at-fault party but as a result have faced felony charges,” he said.
Officials said leaving the scene of a crash is a first-degree misdemeanor offense, but that rises to a fifth-degree felony if the crash caused an injury. Fleeing the scene also can result in felony criminal charges if the driver was drunk or high or involved in other criminal activities.
According to the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, state lawmakers increased penalties on drivers who flee in 2016 if they know that the crash resulted in serious physical harm or death.
What to do
Dayton police Major Christopher Malson said victims in hit-and-run crashes can help police by getting as much information as they can, such as license plate numbers and descriptions of the vehicles and drivers.
But Malson warned, “Do not chase the individual(s) and risk your own life or further harm to get it. Contact the police department, make a report and then contact your insurance company about the incident.”
Authorities say technology like Flock license plate reader cameras have made it easier for law enforcement to identify drivers and vehicles involved in hit-and-runs.
Sheriff Streck said, “If witnesses are able to safely obtain video or pictures at a scene or if they live nearby and have captured video on security cameras at the home or business that is very useful. ... We often look at travel of a vehicle prior to and after the crash as well.”
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