Personal Injury Law

Good Samaritan In Covington Struck By Hit And Run Driver

By M. Brandon Smith

There's an old proverb that says "no good deed goes unpunished". And while this cynical out look on life is not always true, it unfortunately sometimes is.

Take, for example, the story of the young man in Georgia who was struck by a speeding vehicle while he was trying to help a stranded motorist. According to CovNews.com:

It all happened at around 12:15 a.m. when [the victim] was at his home just outside Porterdale. According to him, he heard a commotion outside and opened the door to see what was going on. When he walked outside he saw a man and a woman and the couple appeared to be arguing. When he asked them what was going on, they told him the woman had been driving their vehicle and had run off the road, getting stuck in a ditch down the street.

As he went to assist the couple, he noticed a "black compact car" speeding towards them. Trying to ward off the reckless driver in order to protect the woman he was helping, the young man waved for the car to slow down, only to be struck as the car skidded towards him.

"I was not in his way at all. It sounded like he was speeding toward me," said [the young man]. "He skidded and then the car hit me. It was probably going 50 or 55 m.p.h. and I tried to jump out of the way but I couldn't get my left leg out of the way in time."

The car struck [him] and he flew into the air, flipped and then hit the ground. The driver of the vehicle reportedly acted like he was going to stop but then apparently decided against it sped away.

An officer arrived at the scene in less then two minutes, called there for assistance prior to the accident by the people stuck in the ditch. [He] was taken to Atlanta Medical Center where it was found that his knee was lacerated to the bone, requiring more than 100 stitches – both inside and out.

He also suffered bruised ribs and numerous scrapes and bruises. Doctors have told him that he will need to use crutches for at least two months, but [he] can only walk short distances on them, requiring a wheelchair to go more than a few steps.

This young man, who is just a few weeks shy of celebrating his 18th birthday, deserves justice. Hit-and-run accidents are terrible violations of the law in any situation, but the fact that this particular victim was only in harm's way because he was trying to do a good deed makes the injustice of this situation even more frustrating.

If you have any information on this story, please call Georgia State Patrol Cpl. C.S. Allen at

(770) 464-1800 or (706) 210-2050.

Full post as published by Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer on November 22, 2009 (boomark / email).