Elderly driver can’t remember where crash occurred, pedestrian missing

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Have you ever seen a person in shock after an accident? If you haven't, the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy" did a good job of trying to tackle the different ways in which victims respond to their situation after an accident. After the initial accident, many go into a state of shock. One character in the show was seen screaming uncontrollably, another was solely focused on finding her husband, another was unaware of his own injuries and another seemed to have a super-human ability to stay awake and take care of everyone else. Everyone experiences shock in a different way. New Jersey police officers are concerned about the welfare of a recent accident victim after the victim disappeared from the scene. It is unclear whether it was shock or something else that drove the injured pedestrian to flee after being struck by an 81-year-old motorist. According to police, the elderly driver was pulled over on the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 9. When the traffic officer approached the vehicle, he noticed a substantial amount of damage to the car. The damage alone was not what alarmed the officer, but it was the forensic material found in the damaged area, which was consistent with striking a pedestrian. The elderly driver reported that he thought he had struck something, but that he didn't know what it was. He did not stop when he struck the "object" nor could he remember precisely where it happened. Investigators immediately began a search for the injured pedestrian along the man's route. They used helicopters, bloodhounds and even all-terrain vehicles. What happens if a victim leaves the scene in shock? What if they play a role in exacerbating injuries that could have been treated if they were tended to immediately after an accident? What if the injured pedestrian dies as a result of injuries that could have been treated? These are precisely the questions that a personal injury attorney answers as they explain how the circumstances will fit or be handled in a case against a negligent driver. Source: New Jersey Herald, "NJ police can't find hit & run victim," Oct. 12, 2012 If you have questions about injuries caused by pedestrian accidents, our New Jersey firm helps those who have become victims of a motorist's failure to keep the duty to drive safely.