Never leave the scene of a DUI accident. Ever.

This terribly unfortunate accident on the southeast side of Chicago, early Saturday morning, has left an elderly pedestrian dead, and the alleged drunk driver facing a felony DUI and several related charges. What can be learned, apart from the obvious "don't drink and drive", from this tragic event?

Well, in the fear and horror of the moment, the alleged drunk driver apparently fled the scene, presumably hoping to escape unobserved or undetected. In doing so, he may have avoided the chance to render aid (unlikely if he was drunk) which may have saved the pedestrian's life; he also committed several crimes which may likely increase the severity of his sentence in the event he is found guilty. 

Let me say it loud and clear: any driver involved in an accident involving property damage or personal injury must NOT leave the scene, no matter how tempting such an ill-advised action may appear. There is a legal (and some may argue moral) obligation to stay. It may well be too much to expect a drunk driver to process his or her thoughts rationally at the time of a DUI-related accident, especially if there is personal injury or fatality involved. For every other driver, there is no excuse.

At a very practical level, policing today is advanced enough to leave little likelihood that any motorist fleeing such an accident will 'get away with it', and when arrested the number of charges will go up significantly.