Tennessee woman arrested in hit-and-run case

A 53-year-old Clarksville woman has been taken into custody following a fatal hit-and-run that occurred in the early morning hours of Sept. 22 on Tiny Town Road near Needmore Road. The 22-year-old male bicyclist who was struck was apparently traveling eastbound on the shoulder of the road around 12:15 a.m. when the woman, driving a dark blue Jaguar and also proceeding eastbound, struck him. While the Clarksville Police report that he was not wearing a helmet, investigators speculated that even if he had been, it probably would not have saved his life. The man died at the scene.

Police officers eventually arrested the local woman for leaving the scene of an accident and vehicular homicide. She was booked into the Montgomery County Jail two days later and held on a $1.1 million bail. She was also charged with failing to yield and neglecting to carry a driver’s license, and it seems she may not have been carrying motor vehicle insurance.

After police searched and found the Jaguar based on car parts discovered at the accident scene, the woman allowed them to examine her vehicle. There was damage to the car that matched the evidence, but the woman had been telling witnesses and sending text messages from her phone indicating she had hit a deer.

When fatal injuries occur in hit-and-run collisions like this, it may take some time before the accident investigation is complete and a suspected negligent driver is apprehended. The family of the deceased could decide to file a wrongful death claim with the civil court once the driver is found, and a personal injury attorney could assist them in their pursuit for compensation. These proceedings are treated separately from criminal court actions, and the outcome of a lawsuit has no bearing on the results of felony or misdemeanor charges brought against the suspect.

Source: The Leaf-Chronicle, “Bicycle rider killed in hit and run in Clarksville,” Sept. 23, 2014

Source: The Leaf-Chronicle, “Woman charged in hit and run death of Clarksville cyclist”, Tavia D. Green, September 24, 2014