Police say people abandon cars after accidents due to
disorientation, fearfulness and criminal activity
Gilroy – Emergency response crews were left scratching their heads last weekend when they arrived at four separate accidents to find no drivers at the scene. No passengers, no drivers, and in most cases, no witnesses, could be found. All of the vehicles discovered Sunday were on the side of the road and displayed signs of having been in an accident.
When firefighters from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention’s South Santa Clara County District arrived at a rollover car accident at Highway 152 and Santa Teresa Boulevard, firefighters used thermal imagery cameras to search the roadside in case the driver and passengers were ejected from the vehicle or left the scene injured and collapsed.
“There were no obvious injuries, no blood,” said Battalion Chief Derek Witmer. “When you have a head injury, you can do some pretty unorthodox things or wander from the accident … (But) normally if someone flees a scene it’s not good.”
But the cameras did not pick up anything and the Gilroy Police Department took over the investigation. The car has since been towed.
While discovering an abandoned hit and run vehicle on the side of the road is not uncommon for police, finding four in the same day is.
“I think that was a little unusual. Four in one day in a short time frame is a little out of the ordinary,” said Gilroy Police Sgt. Kurt Svardal.
Police do not believe the incidents are related. None of the vehicles were reported stolen.
CDF officials came across two other solo vehicles Sunday. The first occurred at about 2:10am at 38798 Dinosaur Point Road, and the second 12 hours later at 938 Fitzgerald Ave.
A driver may leave the scene of an accident for a number of reasons including fear, disorientation, or because they may be driving a stolen vehicle.
“It’s typically that (the driver’s) license is suspended, or unlicensed, or (they are) under the influence,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Armstrong.
CHP officers discovered a fourth abandoned hit and run accident near 1363 Metcalf Road where an Acura Integra hit a fence. The car sustained moderate damage to the front, rear and roof. CHP officials are trying to identify the driver.
It is illegal to leave the scene of an accident if someone is injured or if property is damaged, without making a concerted effort to contact the owner first, Armstrong explained.
Legally, if one sustains $500 or more in damage from an accident, it must be reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
“If you hit somebody’s fence, you can’t just leave,” explained Sgt. Kurt Svardal. “If you hit a tree – that tree belongs to someone.”
If someone is injured during the accident, the charge is bumped up from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Fleeing the scene of an accident may seem like a good idea if you have been drinking or are driving with a suspended license, but police warn that it may create more problems in the end.
“Because we do catch people and then they have problems,” Svardal said. “I just think people get scared and they leave. Take the case of this last accident – theoretically, he’s reduced his charges. But if he’s caught, you can add charges.”
