CALIFORNIA, USA — California law enforcement responds to the most hit-and-run crashes in the country, according to new data from the National Highway Safety Administration.
It’s a crime trend on the rise. In 2020, the California Office of Public Safety reported 963 hit-and-run deaths in Sacramento, compared to 928 in 2017. This week alone, two people died from these incidents in Sacramento.
Families who have lost people to hit-and-run accidents say there needs to be more accountability for drivers.
“Our society is teaching people to be numb and to not care,” said Lisa Wiley, whose son Robert died in June 2022. “It just breaks my heart how heartless society has become of not caring about people.”
Robert died at 40-years-old while walking to the store one mile away from their Carmichael home. A wreath marks the spot where the crash happened on El Camino and Fair Oaks Boulevard.
“He was on his way back home and got hit from behind and was left for dead,” Wiley said.
Police say the driver never stopped or called for help, leaving Robert alone in his final moments. Investigators never tracked down the person responsible.
But Lisa continues to keep her son’s memory alive by posting flyers and even putting up billboards.
“It breaks my heart because I can't give him a hug and tell him I love him or go fishing with him,” Wiley said.
She urges other drivers to take a moment and consider how they would want their loved ones to be treated if they were ever hurt on the road.
“I think they're cowards for not stopping. Whether it was an accident and they didn't mean to do it, you still stop and help somebody,” she said. “But to just leave them just lying there like it’s no big deal, how would they like it if it was done to them or their family member?”
The possible punishment for causing a deadly hit-and-run crash is four years in state prison and a $10,000 fine.
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