Taking a bus to school seems like an essentially risk-free form of transportation. However, waiting for the bus has several risks, as demonstrated by a recent hit-and-run accident near Picayune.
The accident
The accident occurred on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. At about 6:30 a.m., the victim was walking along Jackson Landing Road to meet a friend at their common school bus stop. He texted his friend that he would meet him in five minutes, but he never arrived. Instead, the friend found him lying in a ditch across the road from a Baptist church being treated by a team of paramedics. Neither the vehicle that struck the student nor its driver was seen at the accident scene. The victim was airlifted to a hospital in Jackson in critical condition. His grandmother told reporters on Tuesday afternoon that he was in stable condition with internal injuries and a head injury.
Police were able to obtain a video tape from an unoccupied school bus that passed near the scene at the time of the accident. The video showed a white SUV. Police have refused to say whether the SUV is believed to be the vehicle that struck the student; instead, police have said only that they want to question occupants of the SUV to learn whether or not any of them saw the accident.
Driver turns self in to police
The video obtained from the school bus turned out to be essential in arresting the driver. The woman who was driving the SUV that struck the victim recognized her car when she saw the video tape later in the day. After being interviewed by a deputy in the Pearl County Sheriff’s Office, the woman was arrested and charged with one count of leaving the scene of an accident with injuries. This crime is a felony under Mississippi law.
The driver who committed these crimes is facing several serious criminal charges. Anyone facing these or similar charges may benefit from consulting an experienced criminal defense attorney. A knowledgeable lawyer can provide an evaluation of the prosecution’s evidence, suggest effect legal defense strategies, and, if appropriate, assist in negotiating a plea agreement with a reduced sentence.