Manier jailed for not giving aid
Failure to render assistance to an injured victim will cost a local woman 145 days behind bars, four years after she fled the scene of an accident on New Smithville Highway.
The suspect, Hilda M. Manier, was arrested recently on the charge of failure of duty to render aid, and leaving the scene of an accident with injury, stemming from a 1999 New Smithville Highway accident. The warrants, taken shortly after the Dec. 13, 1999 wreck, were served on Manier when she was arrested recently for third-offense driving on a revoked license. Charges of criminal impersonation were also lodged against Manier when she allegedly lied to lawmen and gave a false name. Manier had apparently eluded service on warrants stemming from the 1999 accident for more than four years. She entered guilty pleas to the bulk of the charges Tuesday by Judge Larry Ross in General Sessions Court. She was directed to serve 145 days of an 11-month, 29-day sentence, pay $100 plus court costs and forfeit her driver’s license for two years.
The original warrants were brought when Manier was reportedly involved in a wreck which left the driver of the other vehicle with injuries.
“Mrs. Manier exited her vehicle, looked at the victim in the other vehicle, and fled the scene on foot,” the warrant reads. “She did not offer to aid the victim in any way.”
The injured victim later identified a picture of Manier as the person who was driving the vehicle with which she collided.
In addition to making it a crime for a involved party to leave the scene of an accident involving personal injury, the law also requires involved parties to render assistance to those injured in an accident. The assistance can be as minor as contacting medical personnel.