Earlier this week, the vehicle of Rita Andrae from Pooler, Georgia, was rear-ended on I-95 and forced into the guardrail.  The driver who hit Ms. Andrae fled the scene, but witness Douglas Tompkins prevented the hit-and-run driver from escaping police, according to Michelle Paynter of Savannah's WTOC-TV website.  As reported by Paynter, Tomkins witnessed the wreck and headed onto Highway 21 in Port Wentworth.  From there, he could see police driving toward the accident scene, so he located the at-fault vehicle in the median, turned back onto I-95, and began to chase the hit-and-run driver (at speeds up to 90 miles an hour) while calling 911. 

After following the driver off the interstate at a Richmond Hill exit and back onto I-95, police arrived and pulled over the vehicle driven by Ohio resident Alexander Lowther, 21.  By keeping a safe distance from the vehicle but never losing the suspect, Good Samaritan Tompkins was able to communicate the vehicle location, features, and tag number to police.  Matt Libby, captain of the Port Wentworth Police, said that his team "never would have made this case" without Tompkins' help.  Police arrested Lowther and charged him with leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, and following too closely.  Rita Andrae sustained minor injuries in the accident.

Our law firm handles hit-and-run car accident cases such as this.  If you have been injured by a hit-and-run driver or in any type of car accident, please feel free to call us at 770-577-3020 for free answers to any questions you may have.