A hit-and-run car accident has sent an East Deer woman to the hospital with serious injuries while a Pittsburgh-area man has been placed under arrest. The collision occurred at about 10 p.m. on Feb. 3. A couple was walking down the steps of the Creighton Hotel on Freeport Road in East Deer when a car veered out of control toward them. The man tried to push the 47-year-old woman out of harm’s way, but the sideways-moving vehicle still struck her. The driver is said to have fled the scene of the car accident.

The victim was rushed to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh where she was listed in fair condition as of Feb. 6. Following the car accident, the woman’s boyfriend was said to have thrown two six packs of beer at the fleeing vehicle, cracking its windshield. Police took up the chase of the vehicle after it was spotted about an hour later. A pursuit followed, ending when the driver left the vehicle and purportedly hid in the woods. Authorities say he was shot with a stun gun when he would not put his hands up as police sought to apprehend him.

The driver has been charged with multiple criminal allegations, including aggravated assault with a vehicle and drunk driving. He apparently claimed he began to get out of his vehicle after the car accident but fled when the boyfriend threw beer at his car. He also later claimed that he sought to elude police because his driver’s license was suspended, and that charge was also formally lodged against him. He was being held in the Allegheny County Jail on $10,000 bond.

The family and loved ones of the victim are surely focused on her recovery from the tragic incident. They, as well as the victim and her boyfriend, will likely want to know exactly what happened. As the police conclude their investigation, the woman may want to consider pursuing a claim for personal injuries against all parties deemed negligent. Once all of the facts and circumstances of the crash are available, the victim will be able to assess her legal rights and determine the appropriate course of action.

Source: Valley News Dispatch, “East Deer woman seriously hurt in hit-and-run incident,” Chuck Biedka, Feb. 7, 2012