Clearly, the people most affected by a fatal car accident are the family and friends of the victim. But the story of a Tampa-area politician that is making headlines shows how a deadly crash can follow the driver for years.David Jolly, who is running in a special election for a vacant seat in the U.S. house, has admitted that he struck and killed a pedestrian as a teenager. Jolly, now 41, was 16 years old at the time. News media learned about the pedestrian accident through an unnamed tipster. Apparently, the Tampa Bay Times did not realize that Jolly was the driver because his name was misspelled in the original report. The paper reposted that story on Feb. 24. It describes Jolly striking the victim as he walked on the side of the road on a summer evening. The pedestrian was thrown nearly 150 feet and died of his injuries at the scene. He was 30.After reports surfaced, Jolly acknowledged that he indeed was the driver in the deadly 1989 incident. He said that he was “exonerated of any culpability.” Indeed, Jolly apparently never charged criminally. It is not clear if the victim’s family ever pursued a wrongful death claim against Jolly.It is possible that the person who made the tip did so for political purposes. This shows how being involved in a deadly car accident continues to affect Jolly’s career, especially his political aspirations. Of course, this is not nearly as bad as losing a relative in an accident. Source: Politico, “David Jolly acknowledges fatal 1989 crash,” Alex Isenstadt, Feb. 25, 2014
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