Child Injured in Hit-and-Run Crash on FM 1960 in Harris County, TX
Harris County, TX — May 21, 2022, an 8-year-old girl was injured in a hit-and-run crash on Farm to Market Road 1960 in Harris County.
According to reports the incident happened around 3:40 p.m. on FM 1960 West near Jones Road. Preliminary investigation suggests a Nissan Sentra, a Ford F-150, and a Mazda MPV minivan were all eastbound on the roadway. Reports say the Nissan driver failed to maintain a single lane and sideswiped the Ford next to it. After that impact the Mazda, traveling behind the Nissan, rear-ended it.
The Mazda's 8-year-old passenger received serious injuries in the crash. No other injuries were reported.
The Nissan driver allegedly fled the scene on foot, failing to provide his information or render aid.
No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Hit-and-Run on FM 1960 in Harris County
Reports say the driver that seems to have triggered the crash ran off, but it looks like authorities tracked him down without too much effort. Hopefully they can also learn something about why he left the scene without rendering aid. What could have possessed him to do that?
That has many possible answers, but more often than not investigators find that a driver took off because they had something to hide: Illegal contraband, no driver's license, active warrants, and drunk driving are all common reasons someone flees the scene. I'm not jumping to any conclusions about the Harris County accident, but I suspect investigators will at least consider those possibilities while connecting the dots.
If intoxication was a factor that may mean a local business is liable for the victim's injuries under Texas dram shop law. In a nutshell, that says a licensed alcohol provider who over-serves an obviously intoxicated person may be legally accountable for any injuries their customer goes on to cause or suffer while intoxicated.
I should point out that alcohol isn't even mentioned as a suspected factor here, so maybe the suspect just panicked in the moment. I'm not saying I know something police don't. My point is just that many crashes are more complicated than they initially seem. Some may think this matter is wrapped up since the hit-and-run driver was apprehended, but depending on his reasons for fleeing there may be more work to do. Right now further action, if any, largely depends on what investigators find out.
