The suspension is hard on law abiding citizens, but many times that's not who's involved in the hit and run.
Brent Kirkland says he knows what it's like to be a parking lot victim.
"I've never felt so worthless," he said. "They just drove off. My witness was very brave. And she even wanted to go to court with me. She wanted to see justice."
Mr. Kirkland, 28, said he was working at a barber shop in the Daniel Village shopping plaza when he was told someone had smacked into his car, then quickly drove away.
"A lady came to the shop and said she saw everything. I had no idea anything had happened until that woman came into the shop," he said.
Unfortunately, Mr Kirkland isn't alone.
Richmond County police say they've seen an increase in parking lot scrapes, particularly in west Augusta.
From January through August 2007, the precinct that includes the west Augusta-Washington Road business district reported 504 such cases.
This year it's up to 574 reported cases over the same eight-month period.
Richmond County Sheriff's Lt. Scott Redman said the increasing number of hit-and-run cases has to do with traffic growth.
"The Interstate 20 and Interstate 520 road construction has significantly contributed to it," he said. When it comes to side-swiping cases on the interstate, he said, motorists often don't pull off the road.
"They'll just keep going," he said.
Investigating officers hope to get lucky enough to track such vehicles through license tags.
In Mr. Kirkland's case, that's exactly what police did to track down the three people who were in the car at the time of the incident.
Mr. Kirkland credits Lt. Redman for his expertise, patience and knowledge.
"There was a lot I didn't know," Mr. Kirkland said. "I didn't know how to pursue them because they didn't have insurance. I was also concerned about my insurance company."
JyNelle Handy, a co-owner of Insurance Professionals on Tobacco Road, said people leave the scene of a wreck for various reasons.
"It could be they simply don't have insurance, or for fear that their car may be towed, or they may have a criminal history and don't want to confront law enforcement," she said.
Other times, she said, it might be because the driver didn't receive permission to drive the vehicle before the wreck.
Reach Timothy Cox at (706) 823-3217 or tim.cox@augustachronicle.com.
HIT-AND-RUN ACCIDENTS
IF YOU'RE INVOLVED:
- If possible, get yourself and your vehicle out of traffic.
- Get as much identifying information about the other driver as you can. A license plate number is always a good bet if you have a short window of time.
- Try to notice where the damage is located on the other vehicle.
- Call 911 as soon as possible.
- Try to learn the make, model and color of the hit-and-run vehicle.
- Encourage witnesses to stay until the police arrive.
- Do not follow a hit-and-run vehicle for any reason other than obtaining a license plate number.
GEORGIA STATUTE 40-6-270 SAYS:
- If under 21, convicted drivers face a mandatory six-month suspension of their driver's licenses.
- If over 21, convicted drivers face a mandatory four-month suspension of their driver's licenses.
- Drivers must attend defensive driving courses, and upon successful completion, certificates must be submitted to the Georgia Department of Driver Services. Getting a suspended license reinstated requires a $210 fee.
Source: Richmond County Sheriff's Office Road Patrol
Comments
The suspension is hard on law abiding citizens, but many times that's not who's involved in the hit and run.
Law abiding citizens shouldnt have to worry about the suspensions, they dont hit someone and drive off.
It all comes to down to respect, they don't care about themselves, so you can be sure they don't care about you or the things you worked hard for..
I thought that automobile insurance was a mandatory to get license tags. If you drop your automobile insurance, doesn't the insurance company notify the State of Georgia? Insurance rates are going upfor everyone if this hit and run practice keeps up.
Yeah, insurance in GA is mandatory. Yeah, the state will suspend the tag and the driver's license. Those with a suspended tag will steal one to put on their car and keep driving. They could care less about having insurance. They could care less that they hit you. They won't have to pay, and there's nothing you can do to them, because the majority of those without insurance have nothing anyway, so suing them does no good. The state should impound the cars of those without insurance. They should have to pay for a non-refundable one year insurance policy in order to get their vehicle back. If they are involved in a wreck and they are at fault, they should forfeit the rights to their vehicle and it should be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to the victim. If they are not at fault, they shouldn't get a dime! Their vehicle should not be on the road in the first place.
Law abiding citizens are NEVER involved in hit and runs as the suspect. I believe that is what PT was saying.
I love seeing an old dirty beat up car with a used car tag. Either it was not a very smart purchase or the owner has no insurance.
You gotta love the tags on some cars. I have actually seen a fast food bag with the word tag applied for taped to the back window. What car dealership did that car come from? LOL This is how they get by with no insurance. Tag applied for my butt.
Waymore, you sound like a cop.
No insurance, no drivers license, no common sense, no doubt all of them are reckless brainless idiots.
You are right hypocrites 08, law abiding citizens are NEVER INVOLVED in hit and run accidents. If they were, they would not be LAW ABIDING, now would they. Also, Ms foxy is correct.
Yep, I just love to see those 72 cutlasses and 82 caprices with the 22" dubs, dinged fender and cardboard "applied for" tag. You can bet your geehind they have insurance!
Well if Richmond County is at least willing to try to track down the perpetrators I can tell you from personal experience they are a better lot than the North Augusta P.D.. Their attitude when this sort of thing happened to me some time back.... Well the first words out of the officers mouth were "What do you want us to do about it". Dumbfounded I asked that a report be filed for my insurance company... His next response: "Doesn't look like much damage to me, why don't you just pay it out of your pocket?" Total repair..... $2756.00. Oh, and did I mention that a witness to the entire incident left their name and contact information on my windshield along with a description of the driver, the make & modle of the vehicle plus a tag number. When I offered it to the N.A. officer, he grunted at me and told me it was worthlessb. Glad I don't have to routinely count on the North Augusta P.D. By the way, he never exited his comfy vehicle and left me standing outside his door while he begrudgingly scratched out the info for a report. The temperature at the time was 47 degrees and it was drizzling rain. North Augusta P.D. . . No respect!
Let us not be too quick to blame the offenders. They don't see you. They have no idea they hit your car. If you don't believe that, watch close the next time you witness a fender bender. You will see that the driver is clueless. Could it be that the person is only pretending he didn't know he took your door with him?
Well eagle, most don't have a rear view mirror!
Whatever gave you that idea, V_A?
It could have been an earthquake -- the vibration from the earthquake could have moved the defendant’s car over into the parked car causing minor damage. The defend being a law abiding citizen and a Bible thumping Christian thought it was the end of the world (esp. with all the current economic problems and the democrats advocating socialism and a one world government) drove straight home to be with their family. After realizing it was not the end of the world -- they returned to the to the parking lot, but the damage car was gone -- what was this honest, Bible thumping Christian, law abiding citizen to do -- they drafted a newspaper ad to be printed in very fine print and ran in the Augusta Chronicle, but unfortunate forgot to have it ran in the newspaper as they were preoccupied taking care of their child that despitely needs a heart transplant. Had the car not have been parked -- where it was -- it would not have been hit. The real guiltily party here is the person that parked the car where it could have been hit. They should have anticipated it might have been hit. This is negligence on their part.(Just kidding)
Don’t they read the Augusta Chronicle – were they not aware there was a problem of hit and run in parking lots? Were there any red flags or flairs warning a person that there was an unprotected automobile they might hit? Were the emergency flashers on? Why didn’t the shopping center have protective barriers to prevent this? We have all these other issues and the newspaper wants to focus on the poor, honest, Bible thumping Christian, law abiding citizen, with the child in need of a heart transplant. People should be outraged! Anyone that would park his or her car where a poor innocent person like this could hit it should get the death penalty and it should not take 17 to 33 years to implement. It should be implemented at once. Why should someone -- that does something like this even deserve a trail? (Just kidding again)
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