A man from Yucca Valley is facing DUI charges, hit-and-run charges and even murder charges after he allegedly killed a pedestrian while he was driving under the influence. He had already been charged with a DUI twice in the past and was apparently illegally driving on a suspended license.
The accident happened in Desert Hot Springs. The man who was killed was 63 years old, and the man accused of hitting him is 39 years old.
According to the police, the pedestrian was walking down Indian Canyon Drive, on the east side. At roughly 7:30 p.m., on a Saturday, he was hit by the younger man, who was driving a 2014 Nissan Sentra.
The California Highway Patrol did not get word of the accident until 12 hours later, at 7:20 Sunday morning. They responded and found that the older man had passed away at the scene. The driver who had allegedly hit him reportedly fled from the crash site. The police went back up the road and found a 1988 Chevrolet pickup broken down to the south. They believe that the older man was walking for help with his truck when he was run down.
Witnesses were able to identify the driver, which is why he is now facing charges. The police went to his home and took him into custody. Bail has been set at $1 million.
Murder charges are not often used in accident cases, but can come about when there are aggravating circumstances, such as a driver who leaves the scene, standing a victim for 12 hours. If you’ve lost a loved one in such an accident, in addition to monitoring the criminal trial, you may want to find out what rights you have to seek financial compensation.
Source: Patch, “Murder, Hit-and-Run, Drunken Driving Charges Filed Against Yucca Valley Man,” July 07, 2016