Driver In Deadly Myrtle Beach Hit And Run Gets Probation Time

Leaving the scene of an accident, also known as hit and run, is a crime under South Carolina law.  If the accident results in bodily injury or substantial property damage, you must stop, ensure that injured people get medical attention, and file a police report or exchange contact information with the other driver.  People who get charged with hit and run sometimes confide in their defense lawyers that they did not realize that they struck someone, and therefore, in leaving the scene, they acted without criminal intent.  It is difficult to argue convincingly that you did not hit another car, but people sometimes truthfully claim that they did not know that they struck a pedestrian, even though this does not absolve them of criminal liability.  If your car hit something and you don’t know what it is, you should stop and make sure that it is not a person, and if it is, you should call 911.  People who get injured in hit and run accidents have the right to file personal injury lawsuits in civil court to seek compensation for their injury-related financial losses, regardless of the outcome of the criminal case, if any, against the at fault driver.  If you have been injured in a hit and run accident, contact a Columbia car accident lawyer.

Elon University Student Died in Hit and Run Accident During Baseball Trip to South Carolina

Toward the end of the spring 2023 semester, the Elon University Club Baseball team visited Myrtle Beach for a weekend.  One of the players, Jackson Yelle, was crossing Highway 17 Bypass North on foot when he was struck by a car, which did not stop at the scene of the accident.  Yelle died of injuries sustained in the accident.  He was 21 years old.

Jason Sauro, the driver who struck Yelle, was later arrested.  Sauro, who is legally deaf, did not realize that he had struck a person; he told police that he thought he had hit a deer.  He was charged with hit and run resulting in death.  As part of a plea deal, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of aggravated assault and battery, in exchange for the hit and run fatality charge being dropped.  The court originally sentenced him to ten years in prison, but it later suspended that sentence and ordered him to serve five years of probation, which he is currently serving.  If he successfully completes the probation sentence, he may not have to serve any time in prison for causing the accident that killed Yelle.  Because of Sauro’s conviction, Yelle’s family is entitled to a ruling in their favor if they file a civil lawsuit against Sauro.  They also have the right to file civil lawsuits against other entities that they believe contributed to the fatal accident.

Let Us Help You Today

The personal injury lawyers at the Stanley Law Group can help you if you got injured in an accident where the driver left the scene.  Contact The Stanley Law Group in Columbia, South Carolina or call (803)799-4700 for a free initial consultation.

Sources:

abcnews4.com/news/crime-news/man-sentenced-after-deadly-hit-and-run-of-elon-university-student-jason-sauro-ten-years-in-prison-suspended-to-five-years-probation

elonnewsnetwork.com/article/2024/07/driver-hit-run-sentenced-five-years-probation-killing-elon-university-student