Houston — Pedestrian Dead After Fatal Hit-And-Run Crash in Cloverleaf
Posted on Tuesday, January 15th, 2019 at 2:19 am
A Houston man was charged with felony murder after a fatal hit-and-run accident that occurred in Cloverleaf.
On Thursday, January 10, 2019, at 10:25 in the morning on Freeport Street near Bandera, Ronnie Allen Isbel, a 51-year-old man, was intoxicated while he was driving, and as a result, he ran a stop sign at the intersection and immediately struck Robert Newton, a pedestrian walking on a crosswalk. Newton died at the scene while Isbel promptly fled away.
However, there was a witness to the crash that was able to identify Isbel as the suspect of the hit-and-run accident, and as a result, he was arrested. In addition to his arrest, Isbel is also being held on a $175,000 bond for two charges: failure to stop and render aid involving death.
This is the third DUI/DWI case for Isbel — the first one being in 1986 and the second in 2000. According to court records, he served 30 days of jail time for each case.
Hit-and-run accidents are undeniably dreadful, and no one should have to mourn a loved one because of this. Alas, hit-and-run accidents are actually common occurrences nowadays. According to a study done by roadside-assistance giant AAA, 2,049 hit-and-run deaths happened in 2016 — the highest annual total on record — and in the decade that led up to that peak, there were about 682,000 crashes that occurred each year in which the driver fled the scene.
Texas is reported to be the 8th worst state for hit-and-run fatalities, a fact that is terrifying and needs to be changed.
Aside from hit-and-run accidents, DUI — or driving under the influence (of drugs or alcohol) — accidents are just as appalling. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 28 people die every day as a result of drunk driving crashes, and in 2010, 10,228 people died in drunk driving accidents — one every 52 minutes — while about 345,000 were injured. These statistics paint a horrific picture, and it’s time for something to be done to stop the numbers from climbing up.
If you are a victim of a hit-and-run/DUI accident, or you have a loved one who is, then never lose hope because there will always be help available, in the form of the police and car accident lawyers.
