Woman Injured in Alleged Hit-and-run Accident on FM 1719 in Potter County, TX
Potter County, TX -- January 1, 2023, one person was injured after an alleged hit-and-run accident along FM 1719.
Details released by authorities said that the crash happened at approximately 2:42 a.m. in the area of FM 1719 and Brickplant Road.
Officials said that Emilie Chapmond was driving a Ford F-150 northbound on FM 1719. While making a left turn, an oncoming Toyota Corolla hit the pickup. Police say that the Toyota driver then fled the scene, but they were found the day after.
A 34-year-old woman in Chapmond's vehicle had incapacitating injuries due to the crash. The Toyota driver allegedly admitted to drinking prior to the crash, but it's unclear at this time if any charges are being filed.
One possibility that it's unclear if charges were filed could be due to police not finding the driver until well after they left the scene. A lot of times, if police don't have a BAC, they won't file alcohol-related charges. But BAC is far from the only piece of evidence that can show someone was intoxicated at the time of the crash.
For example, the civil courts have a lower (though still significant) burden of proof. As such, evidence that may not be convincing for authorities can still be productive. Finding a driver's credit card statements showing how many drinks they bought, talking to witnesses at a bar or restaurant where they were drinking, pulling security camera video, and the driver's statements to authorities can all be used to show that the driver was more likely than not intoxicated at the time of the accident.
Maybe authorities know more than they've told the public, and maybe steps have already been taken to ensure there are appropriate consequences here. But if those steps haven't been taken, that may not necessarily be due to there being no steps to take. It could simply be that there are other avenues which have yet to be explored.
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