By: Elizabeth Wright
After the needless death of 17 year-old Steven Bacon near
Elmira, New York, Joseph DuPont has pressed for a law to
require that anybody knowing about a hit-and-run "accident" must
report it.
Mr. DuPont, a resident of Towanda, in extreme North-Central Pennsylvania, relates a tragic incident. The young man was struck along a rural road by a car as it sped away from a bar just across the line in New York. Though several persons were aware of the incident, it wasn't reported. Apparently as a direct result of the delay, the young man died. One of the persons who supposedly had knowledge that the car had hit something or someone was a candidate for a minor county office. While it appears to us that obstruction of justice and/or complicity laws may be implicated in a situation such as this one, Mr. DuPont has worked to induce the legislators of several states including Pennsylvania, New York and Texas, to enact a law requiring that anyone with first or secondhand knowledge of a hit-and-run be required to report it. He points to the many cases where injured persons are left to die while motorists take time to sober up or dispose of drugs before reporting the incident. In this age of cellphones, getting medical help for any person injured in any way should be an automatic action. We can't bring ourselves to suggest that cops should be informed unless the law requires it. We do strongly urge that any injury of any kind be reported through 911 and/or directly to medical assistance such as the closest ambulance, paramedical or hospital service. We commend Joseph DuPont for his efforts.
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