Michelle Lynn Simkins, 29, has been convicted of second-degree felony charges for leaving the scene of an accident and causing serious injury. She could be sentenced to as many as 15 years in prison for a hit-and-run that left a 12-year-old with multiple injuries.
“I remember playing…and taking that first step and then waking up in the ambulance and going back to sleep,” said the child, who was the first witness called in the trial.
The victim, along with a group of other young children, said they had been playing a game involving air soft guns and sprinting back and forth across the road. Witnesses at the scene say the victim had stepped out onto the road, was immediately struck, and was carried on the windshield for a moment before being thrown off the front of the hood. Simkins drove away without ever getting out of the car to check if the boy was okay. Both of his legs were broken in the accident, and will require months of recovery and physical therapy.
After authorities tracked the vehicle to her address, Simkins initially told police that she had not been driving the car, and that she had loaned it to a friend named Becky. However, ‘Becky’ was soon proved to be fabrication. Police also recorded a phone conversation between Simkins and another individual in which she talked in detail about the car accident.
Involved in a Hit-and-Run Accident?
Pedestrians struck by a hit-and-run driver are often severely injured; many of them are not fortunate enough to walk away from the accident. Physical evidence and witness testimony can change rapidly, so moving quickly after a hit-and-run accident is crucial.
Hit-and-run drivers do not care about taking responsibility for their actions, but we at McBride Law Firm will do our best to make sure that the driver that hit you or your loved one will face consequences for their actions.