The accident occurred on September 11th, when Sgt. Frank Valentin, age 50, who was driving northbound on Lake Emma Road, suddenly slammed on the brakes to avoid a dog. Riding his motorcycle behind Valentin, Jeffrey Herrin rear-ended Valentin's unmarked police car, and was seriously injured in the crash. Herrin broke both his wrists and suffered injuries to the pelvis.

Valentin failed to stop and was arrested some 15 minutes later by a trooper, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report. Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. James Clark said Valentin was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage and bodily injury. Valentin's pay was suspended during the investigation and he resigned last week.

Hit-and-run crashes have become commonplace, and this creates terrible hardship for victims who have nowhere to turn to. Hit-and-run accidents mostly involve passenger cars striking pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists. In these crashes, the damage to the passenger car is often light, allowing the car driver to flee, while the injuries to the victim are often serious or deadly.

It is important that witnesses of hit-and-run accidents come forward with information that could lead to the arrest of the culprits.