What kind of person hits someone with their vehicle and drives away?
Edgar Solis was crossing Highway 17 near Evergreen Drive in Jacksonville Monday night when he was struck by a vehicle. The first driver stayed. Then two more vehicles hit Mr. Solis – and one of them, a small red SUV, drove off southbound on Highway 17. Just left him there in the road and kept going.
Mr. Solis, who was from Kentucky, was pronounced dead at the scene. He had a family. He had people who loved him. And now Jacksonville police are searching for a red SUV because someone made the decision to flee instead of facing what they’d done.
Over 26 years of practicing law in North Carolina, I’ve represented families in wrongful death cases. I’ve sat across from people who’ve lost husbands, wives, parents, children. But hit-and-run cases hit differently. There’s the grief of losing someone – and then there’s the rage of knowing the person responsible ran away like a coward.
What Happened on Highway 17 Monday Night
According to WITN, Jacksonville police responded to a crash on Highway 17 near Evergreen Drive around 9:40 p.m. Monday. When officers arrived, they found Edgar Solis lying in the roadway. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation revealed that Mr. Solis was crossing Highway 17 when he was first struck by a vehicle. That driver remained at the scene. After the initial impact, Mr. Solis was hit by two additional vehicles. One of those vehicles – a small red SUV – fled southbound on Highway 17 toward Onslow Drive before law enforcement arrived.
Police have identified Mr. Solis and notified his next of kin. They’re now searching for the driver of that red SUV. Jacksonville Police Investigator Ira Patterson is asking anyone with information to call 910-938-6402 or Crime Stoppers at 910-938-3273.
The first driver stayed. The second driver who hit Mr. Solis stayed. But that third driver in the red SUV? Made a choice to run.
Why Leaving the Scene Makes Everything Infinitely Worse
Let me be very clear about something. If you’re involved in an accident – any accident – and you leave the scene, you’ve just committed a separate crime on top of whatever else happened. In North Carolina, leaving the scene of an accident involving death or serious injury is a felony.
Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-166, drivers involved in accidents resulting in injury or death must immediately stop, remain at the scene, and render reasonable assistance. When a driver knows or reasonably should know the accident resulted in injury or death to any person, willfully leaving the scene is a Class F felony. That carries serious prison time – up to nearly five years – plus substantial fines and permanent license revocation.
The driver of that red SUV didn’t just hit a pedestrian. They committed felony hit-and-run. They turned what might have been a tragic accident into a criminal act. And they made it impossible for Mr. Solis’s family to get the full truth about what happened to him.
The Cruelty of Hit-and-Run Cases
I’ve handled enough of these cases to tell you what happens to the families left behind. They don’t just grieve the death of their loved one. They’re haunted by unanswered questions.
Was the driver drunk? Were they texting? Were they speeding? Did they even try to brake? We’ll never know – because they drove away.
Could Mr. Solis have survived if that driver had stopped and called 911 immediately instead of fleeing? We’ll never know that either.
The family sits there wondering if their husband, their father, their son might still be alive if the person who hit him had done the decent, lawful thing and stayed. That’s the particular torture of hit-and-run deaths.
And here’s what makes me furious: leaving the scene doesn’t protect the driver. It makes everything worse. If you hit someone accidentally – if it truly was an accident with no impairment, no reckless driving, nothing criminal – staying at the scene gives you a chance to explain that. Fleeing transforms you from “person involved in a tragic accident” to “criminal fleeing the scene of a felony.”
The first driver stayed. Why couldn’t you?
What Edgar Solis’s Family Faces Now
Mr. Solis’s family can file a wrongful death claim under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 28A-18-2 against whoever was driving that red SUV – once police find them. They can seek compensation for funeral expenses, the loss of Mr. Solis’s financial support, and the devastating loss of his companionship and guidance.
But money doesn’t bring him back. And the driver who fled made sure this family will never get the closure that comes from knowing exactly what happened and why.
North Carolina follows a contributory negligence rule, which means the family’s recovery could be barred if investigators determine Mr. Solis bore any fault in the accident. But fleeing the scene doesn’t eliminate the driver’s liability – it makes the driver look guilty of far more than just an accident.
The statute of limitations gives Mr. Solis’s family two years from the date of his death under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-53 to file a wrongful death lawsuit. But first, police have to find the driver who ran.
If You Have Information About That Red SUV
Jacksonville police are searching for a small red SUV that was traveling southbound on Highway 17 toward Onslow Drive after the collision. If you saw this vehicle Monday night around 9:40 p.m., or if you have any information about who was driving it, call Investigator Ira Patterson at 910-938-6402 or Crime Stoppers at 910-938-3273.
Someone knows who was driving that SUV. Maybe it’s a family member. Maybe it’s a friend. Maybe you’re the one who drove it and you’re reading this right now.
Here’s what I want you to understand: turning yourself in now is better than being caught later. Fleeing the scene is already a felony. Every day you don’t come forward makes it worse. An attorney can help you surrender properly and begin to make this right. You can’t undo what happened to Mr. Solis, but you can stop compounding the harm to his family.
If you’re the driver, call an experienced criminal defense attorney first, then turn yourself in. If you know who the driver is, make the call to police. Do the right thing.
What To Do If You’re Ever Involved in a Pedestrian Accident
God forbid you’re ever in this situation, but if you are involved in an accident with a pedestrian – or any accident involving injury – here’s what the law requires and what basic human decency demands:
Stop immediately. Don’t move your vehicle unless it’s creating a safety hazard.
Call 911. Get police and medical help to the scene as fast as possible.
Render reasonable assistance. If someone is injured, do what you can to help them without moving them unnecessarily. Wait for paramedics.
Stay at the scene until police arrive and complete their investigation. Give your statement. Provide your information. Face what happened.
Don’t discuss fault with anyone except police and your attorney. You can help without admitting liability.
Contact an attorney immediately after police finish their investigation. You need legal guidance, especially in North Carolina where contributory negligence rules are harsh.
Staying doesn’t guarantee you won’t face consequences if you were at fault. But fleeing guarantees you’ll face criminal charges on top of civil liability. And it guarantees that someone’s family will suffer even more than they already are.
This Didn’t Have To Be a Hit-and-Run
Two drivers hit Edgar Solis after the initial collision. Both of them stayed at the scene. They did what the law requires and what common human decency demands.
One driver ran.
That driver turned a tragedy into a crime. Turned a family’s grief into a nightmare of unanswered questions. And somewhere out there, they’re living with the knowledge of what they did and the choice they made.
If your loved one was killed in a pedestrian accident anywhere in North Carolina, you need legal representation that understands both the civil and criminal aspects of these cases. We handle wrongful death claims across the entire state.
Call us at 336-221-8900 in Graham. Free consultations. We work on contingency fees – you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for your family.
To the driver of that red SUV: do the right thing. Turn yourself in. Mr. Solis’s family deserves that much. And somewhere in whatever is left of your conscience, you know it.
About This Article: This content is based on reports from WITN regarding a recent hit-and-run fatality on Highway 17 in Jacksonville investigated by Jacksonville Police Department. We provide this information as an educational resource about wrongful death and hit-and-run laws in North Carolina. If you are directly connected to this accident and have questions or concerns about this article, please contact us at 336-221-8900.
Legal Disclaimer: This article provides general information about hit-and-run accidents and pedestrian fatalities in Jacksonville, North Carolina and should not be considered legal advice. Every case is different. For advice about your specific situation, contact a licensed North Carolina attorney.