After celebrating the arrival of the New Year, a 25-year-old Missouri mother of two accepted a ride with an acquaintance. This apparently turned out to be a bad idea, as the journey ended when the driver smashed the vehicle into a building. According to witnesses, the driver then fled the scene of the crash, leaving behind his passenger with serious injuries.

Kansas City police reported that surveillance footage shows the car mounting the sidewalk of Independence Avenue, hitting a stop sign and then a telephone pole before smashing into a brick building. The accident reportedly occurred shortly before 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day. The car was operated by a 35-year-old man who reportedly left the scene of the accident on foot — according to witnesses’ reports. Family members of the injured woman reported that she suffered severe injuries to her skull and neck, along with a fractured leg.

Accident investigators obtained a description of the driver from witnesses, and also his name from a library card they found in the wreck. This was used to search the records of the Missouri Department of Revenue, which yielded a photo of the alleged hit-and-run driver. Prosecutors from Jackson County charged the man with assault and leaving an accident at which injuries occurred. His arrest has not been confirmed yet, but his bond was set at $250,000.

The Missouri woman who suffered serious injuries in this crash is entitled to pursue financial relief for her medical expenses, which will likely be significant. She is also entitled to retain the services of an experienced personal injury attorney to guide and support her through the legal proceedings while she recovers from her injuries. Once negligence on the part of the driver is established, the court will consider documented claims for financial and emotional damages.

Source: fox4kc.com, “KC man charged with leaving scene of New Year’s accident that critically injured passenger“, Michelle Pekarsky, Jan. 6, 2016