Passenger Dies in Rear-End Collision in Gaston, Driver Charged With Hit and Run
After most car accidents, the first step is for the drivers to exchange insurance information; if anyone is injured, they then go immediately to the emergency room to be examined and treated. The bills you receive after an emergency room visit, including the unpleasant surprise that the doctor who treated you in the ER and the radiologist who took your X-rays are out-of-network for your insurance, are plenty alarming, but you can at least hope for the best that the car insurance company of the driver who caused your accident will pay for part of them. Many people’s interactions with personal injury law firms begin when the car insurance company sends a settlement offer that is not enough to cover their accident-related medical bills and they wonder what their other options are. If the driver who caused your accident left the scene of the accident without identifying themselves or providing insurance information, you still have legal options for seeking compensation. If you have suffered serious injuries in a hit-and-run accident, contact a South Carolina car accident lawyer.
Passenger in Hit-and-Run Crash Suffers Fatal Injuries After Being Ejected from Vehicle
The accident happened in the early evening of September 14, 2019 on U.S. 321 in Gaston. A Ford Expedition was traveling on U.S. 321 near Gardners Terrace, when a 2007 Chevy Silverado pickup truck collided with it from behind. The Expedition veered out of its lane, and in an attempt to gain control of the vehicle, the driver over-corrected, causing the vehicle to flip over. The driver, who was wearing a seatbelt, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The passenger, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle. Jeff Coswell, the passenger in the Expedition, died of his injuries at the scene of the accident. He was 49 years old.
The driver of the Chevy Silverado left the scene of the accident. He was arrested less than three hours later and charged with leaving the scene of a fatality accident, leaving the scene of an accident involving serious injury, and reckless homicide. Royce Kopacz., Jr., 54, was taken to the Lexington County Jail where he was held without bond. No media reports are available about the outcome of Kopacz’s criminal case.
What to Do If You Get Injured in a Hit-and-Run Crash
If someone collides with your car and leaves the scene of the accident, write a note or record a voice memo on your phone with all the information you remember about the vehicle. Then get prompt treatment for your injuries. Even before your first medical bill arrives in the mail, contact a personal injury lawyer to find out the best ways to get your medical bills paid for.
Reach Out to Us Today for Help
Columbia car accident lawyers can help you recover damages if you have been injured in an accident where the driver at fault for the collision left the scene. Contact The Stanley Law Group for more information.
Resource:
wltx.com/article/news/local/columbia-man-killed-auto-accident-lexington-county/101-927a1431-1710-4512-84a5-f24916783cdb
