By Staff
Offending driver flees scene
By DAN PARSONS, Staff Writer
A three-vehicle collision on River Road Sunday brought a whole new meaning to the phrase “hit and run” when the driver of what witnesses say was the offending car took off on foot from the scene of the accident.
Witnesses say that around 3 p.m., a green Volvo traveling east on River Road jarred a green Pontiac from behind in front of the Rebel Tavern. The driver of the offending vehicle immediately leapt from the car and fled the scene, leaving the vehicle in the middle of the street with no lights or flashers on. The driver’s motive for fleeing was not immediately clear to responding authorities.
One witness had his own theory. “I bet that car was stolen,” he said, standing in the rain waiting to give his statement to authorities. The Washington office of the N.C. Highway Patrol, which handled the investigation did not return calls regarding the progress of the case or the circumstances under which the driver fled.
Joey Bland, a Washington mechanic, was driving behind the Volvo when it was abandoned by its driver.
The vehicle behind Bland was a gray Chevrolet sedan which slammed into the rear of the stopped Volvo, pushing it over the curve and onto the grass beside the road. The Chevrolet, despite a smashed front-right end and the tire popped, was moved from the roadway before emergency crews arrived. The Volvo sustained extensive damage to the left-rear end and front bumper.