Every year, thousands of people are injured or killed in hit-and-run accidents, and in most cases, the victim and his or her family are left not knowing who to blame. But thanks to the Denver Police Department’s Medina Alert system, more and more hit-and-run drivers are being brought to justice.
The system was approved in March of 2014, and since then, police have been closing a majority of hit-and-run cases with relative ease, personal injury attorneys in Denver report.
How Do Police Use the Medina Alert?
Through the internet and our smartphones, we all have immediate access to information on the go, and law enforcement officials have begun to use these new technologies to their advantage. Amber Alerts have been used across the country with great success to track kidnappers, find missing children and bring them home.
Broadcasting information to a variety of high-traffic sources—social media, cell phones and news teams—increases the chances that more people will see the missing child’s picture or read a description of the kidnapper and the vehicle in question, which in turn increases the likelihood that someone will spot the kidnapper and call the police.
In Denver, former police officer Larry Stevenson developed the Medina Alert system to spread information about hit-and-run drivers using similar methods. Stevenson created the alert after the death of 21-year-old Jose Medina, for whom the alert is named. Medina was killed on his first day of work as a parking valet after a driver hit him and took off.
A nearby cab driver witnessed the hit-and-run, followed the car and wrote down the license plate number. With his help, police were able to catch the driver and bring him to justice for Medina’s death.
Just like an Amber Alert, the Medina Alert program reaches out to everyone in the area to help apprehend hit-and-run drivers. If a hit-and-run accident has caused serious injury or death, and a reliable, detailed description of the car that fled the scene can be provided, police departments and law enforcement officials will issue a Medina Alert to spread the information to the general public using news outlets, Facebook, Twitter and other social media, electronic billboards, traffic reader boards and cell phone alerts.
Anyone who receives the alert is then able to keep an eye out for the car involved, and often, people who are on the road for hours at a time, like taxi drivers and truckers, can help police officers catch the suspect.
Every driver has a duty to take responsibility for his and her actions and to provide as much help as possible after an accident, no matter whose fault it is. Hit and run accidents are especially appalling because often, the victim needs immediate medical attention.
When the at-fault driver flees the scene without stopping to provide assistance or call 911, the victim may be unable to do so for himself. If there are no witnesses around at the time, a hit and run victim could die before help gets to him.
If you have been injured in a hit-and-run accident, or have lost a loved one as a result, we can help. Denver personal injury attorneys like Jordan Levine at Levine Law Firm represent clients who have suffered as a result of another driver’s negligence. To discuss your case, contact Jordan today.
