IF THERE’S A WAY OUT,
WE’LL FIND IT.

Hit-and-run kills motorcyclist in Mesa

On Jan. 22, a motorcyclist struck a vehicle that turned abruptly in front of him. The man collided with the car and later died from his injuries.

The driver of the vehicle struck did not stop and fled the scene. The Arizona Department of Public Safety worked the scene at 3200 E. Southern Ave. in Mesa and searched the surrounding area for the hit-and-run vehicle.

Two hours after the accident, a man came to the scene and turned himself in. It turned out the driver’s mother encouraged him to return and surrender to the police.

The driver returns to face the music

The driver, a 30-year-old Mesa resident, appeared under the influence of something when he returned to the scene. His breath smelled foul and his eyes appeared bloodshot. The driver denied consuming anything to impair him, illegal or otherwise before or after the crash. Instead, he told police he used methamphetamine “much” earlier in the day.

Impairment suspected

After putting the 30-year-old through a battery of field sobriety tests, police concluded impairment. Upon further questioning, he admitted to using the meth after the accident, not earlier in the day as stated previously.

He told the police that he decided to flee instead of stay because he feared getting arrested. Police later discovered he drove illegally on a revoked license and charged him with the offense.

A passenger traveling within the same car confirmed the motorcycle struck the side of the vehicle and that the driver left the scenic panicked.

Police make an arrest on the spot

Police arrested the vehicle driver for the revoked license, fleeing the scene and suspicion of vehicular manslaughter.

Subsequent to the arrest, he underwent a medical exam. Medical personnel discovered a stimulant and cannabis in his system.

Arizona has some of the most stringent DUI laws in the country. If convicted, the driver faces felony charges and mandatory jail time.

Posted in

The Nolan Law Firm

Archives