• 26
  • January
    2012

Police in Prince George's County say they have a lead on the vehicle that they believe was involved in a hit-and-run accident that left a 55-year-old man and 62-year-old woman dead earlier this month. The announcement offers the hopes that someone will be arrested and could be held responsible for these horrible wrongful deaths.

Authorities say the incident happened at 7 a.m. on Jan. 6 on Oxen Hill Road. They say Michael Thomas and Mildred Freeman were standing about midway across an intersection when they were struck down by a car. The driver of the vehicle just kept on going. The victims were taken to an area hospital for treatment but died from their injuries.

Last week, police announced that have identified the vehicle that struck the couple. They say it was a dark-colored Chevrolet, either a Cavalier model or a Geo Prizm. While news reports don't explain how authorities have been able to narrow down the list of possible vehicles, it seems likely that they might have made the determination based on an analysis of paint samples found at the accident. They say the vehicle probably will have suffered a damaged grill or headlight.

Officials say they continue their investigation and are inviting anyone who thinks they may know something about the case to contact the Prince George's County Police Department's Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit at 301-306-5640.

In addition to the deep sadness of this incident, this story reflects the complexity that can be associated with trying to get to the bottom of hit-and-run cases. That complexity can make it difficult for those who have lost loved ones through wrongful death to know how to proceed. Contacting an attorney can help.

Source: Gazette.net, "Vehicle identified in Oxon Hill hit-and-run that killed two," Mimi Liu, Jan. 19, 2012