Florida law requires a person involved in an accident to stop at the scene. When the collision involves an unattended vehicle or a small amount of property damage, the charge is a misdemeanor. If the crash involves another vehicle with a driver or passengers inside, where only property damage is involved, it is pretty much the same as leaving an unattended vehicle. However, penalties and criminal charges can begin to escalate if there is a death or injury involved in the accident. Florida law considers this a felony. Not only will a person face criminal penalties, leaving the scene can open a person up to being responsible for paying punitive damages, which is not covered by car insurance.
Click Orlando reports on a man who left the scene of an accident which left his wife dead. 26-year-old Kabir Richard Ramnarine was arrested on Sunday after authorities found him in a Kissimmee hotel. The crash in which Ramnarine was involved was reported at 3:30 a.m. on Sunday morning at San Lorenzo Road and Cortez Court.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Ramnarine was driving a Toyota four-door northbound on San Lorenzo Road when he lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle went off the roadway before striking first a sign and then a tree. 26-year-old Ashley Ramnarine was a passenger in the vehicle and was not wearing a seat belt. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ramnarine fled from the crash on foot. Police believe that Ramnarine fled because he did not have a valid driver’s license. When investigators inquired as to why he left his wife at the scene, Ramnarine said that he panicked. Ramnarine has been charged with driving on a revoked license, vehicular homicide, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident.