Sunday Scooter Ride Ends In Tragedy

It was Sunday afternoon. The air was crisp and cool with few clouds in the sky. Sunday’s are usually family days, play days before the kids go back to school and parents return to the daily grind of work and responsibility. On this day, ten-year-old Darnessa Brown and her sister Darneisha were riding on an electric scooter just before 1:00 PM. Like most kids, they weren’t wearing their helmets. At some point the ride was brought to a tragic end when Leticia Flores, a mother of four herself, struck the girls. Sadly, Darnessa lost her life and her sister Darneisha remains in intensive care.

That is not the end of the story. According to bystanders, after Letica Flores hit the girls with her car, she stopped, got out of her car and verbally scolded the children for riding on the street. She then got back into her car and drove to a local convenience store to shop! Thankfully, police caught up with her there. She was arrested and charged with driving without a license, causing death and leaving the scene of an accident at which a death has occurred. Does this story bother you as bad as it bothers us?

The driver’s attitude seems to be that of a lot of people in our society today. When they do something wrong, it’s not their fault! It is staggering that the driver struck the girls, got out and scolded them and then got back into her car and went on her way! Clueless and callous would probably be two words that would most describe her attitude. Meanwhile, a family is left to pick up the pieces of their lives that have been shattered by the careless acts of another.

As Attorney’s we have to deal with a lot of people who have encountered various tragedies. Most have been at the hands of a person who acted irresponsibly. When we look into their faces and see the hurt, we can’t help but be moved with compassion.

We’re thankful for those clients, who in the midst of the most difficult of circumstances have reached out and solicited our help. We are honored that they have done so and it is not a matter that we take lightly! We will continue to fight for the rights of those who can’t. Maybe in some small way, we can make a difference.