The man who struck and injured a child last week in Springfield, Illinois, would need a car injury lawyer to represent his interest following his arrest. The Springfield Police Department disclosed on Monday, August 24th, that they have Bernard Fokum-Dinga, a 62-year-old city resident in custody.
According to the police, the suspect struck the 7-year-old male victim while he rode his bike on Hilltop Road near the Palisades subdivision and fled the scene. Medics took the child to HSHS St. John’s Hospital to treat scrapes and cuts, and medical personnel released him afterward.
During the investigation, officer Matthew Dowis found a surveillance video from the area which captured the incident and used it to track down Fokum-Dinga. The man admitted to striking the child and leaving afterward.
The police charged him with leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in injury or death. The offense is a Class 4 felony, and if found guilty, Fokum-Dinga faces possible jail time and payment of a fine.
Offenses of this nature are preventable if those involved in traffic collisions of any kind remain at the scene, rather than fleeing. The Illinois law and judicial system frowns at those who leave a crash site without rendering help to the injured.
The law states that after an accident, a person must check for injuries, make a report to the relevant authorities, and remain until they arrive. Even if there’s no injury or death, the person must stay behind and make a report.
Disclaimer: The Accident News article you just read includes information obtained from numerous sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, websites and press releases from law enforcement, the county coroner, fire departments, and other news outlets. While we strive to provide readers with the most accurate information, sometimes the information received is not entirely accurate. For complete details, please refer to an official police report.
The articles published contain sensitive subject matter that may be hard to read by some. We understand that losing a loved one is hard and devastating. Accident News’s decision to share the stories is to help others who may be facing the same situations by providing appropriate resources to the general public.
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