The court decided that a 23-year-old resident of the Wyszków district would spend the following three months in custody. The man got behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol last weekend and hit 3 people at a pedestrian crossing. The Ford driver, wanting to avoid responsibility, drove away from the scene of the accident without providing any assistance to the victims. The 23-year-old could spend up to 12 years in prison for such behaviour.
A serious traffic incident occurred on Saturday night, moments before 3 a.m. The officer on duty of Wyszków police officers received a report that three people had been hit on Kościuszki Street in Wyszków at a marked and illuminated pedestrian crossing over which an orange warning signal is issued. They had multiple injuries and the perpetrator of the accident, without stopping, drove away. Emergency services were diverted to the scene. Three residents of the Wyszków district were transported to the hospital with injuries, a woman (38 years old) and two men (30 and 37 years old). One of the passing men avoided being hit. The condition of the injured and unconscious 37-year-old, who had fallen in the middle of the road, was described as serious and his injuries are a threat to life and health.
Initially, the make and registration number of the vehicle were not known. The witness who avoided being hit only remembered that it was a silver-coloured car. Police officers from all divisions took immediate action. Among other things, the city’s CCTV helped to identify the vehicle and driver. Uniformed officers immediately began searching for the car as well as the fugitive.
At the scene of the hit-and-run, traffic policemen, criminal division officers and a forensic technician worked for several hours. The officers carried out an examination of the scene, secured evidence and drew up incident sketches. At the same time, police officers of the “patrol” went over the streets with a fine-tooth comb to find the crashed car.
The abandoned wrecked car was found by police officers of the patrol and intervention unit on Miła Street in Wyszków. This also helped to establish who might have been driving the car, as uniformed officers had seen the driver’s identification a few days earlier.
The man turned out to be a 23-year-old resident of the Wyszków district. Thanks to the involvement of uniformed officers, he was apprehended on Sunday morning. At the time of his arrest, there was more than half a per mille of alcohol in his system. He initially explained that he had been drinking vodka and beers on Saturday evening and that his car had probably been stolen. The 23-year-old was taken to a police cell. Police officers also took his blood for laboratory tests to check whether he was driving under the influence of drugs and how many per mille could have been in his system at the time he hit the pedestrians.
On the basis of the evidence gathered, the 23-year-old heard prosecution charges of causing a road accident while under the influence of alcohol, where the injuries to one of the victims amounted to grievous bodily harm in the form of a life-threatening disease, and of fleeing the scene of the accident. On Tuesday, the District Court in Wyszków acceded to the request of investigators and applied to the man the most severe preventive measure in the form of temporary arrest.
The man might face up to 12 years imprisonment, a lifetime driving ban and a severe financial penalty for his crimes.
The published video shows what police officers remind and appeal for on a daily basis. Not only those who directly undertake control activities, but also those who relentlessly appeal for caution in preventive actions. Unsuspecting pedestrians must be given special attention and care due to the fact that, when confronted with cars, they have little chance of coming out of an accident uninjured. It is the relationship between drivers and pedestrians that is so important for roads to be safe.
Drivers must remember that in the city, not only on a marked pedestrian crossing but also outside, a pedestrian may be on the road at any time. A quick reaction only at low speed will allow us to avoid being hit. Pedestrians also need to realise that they are not always visible even in places where they should be safe. It is, therefore, a good idea to wear reflectors, which will certainly make you more visible on the road even in the city. But most important of all is common sense and the ability to anticipate.