Missouri police have tracked down a woman whose vehicle allegedly struck and killed a bike rider on a recent Sunday. Bicycle accidents involving motor vehicles frequently have a bad outcome for the riders involved. In this particular collision, the man was killed on impact with the car.

The woman was located and taken into police custody a few days after the deadly accident, apparently with the help of a tip to the city’s crime watch hotline. She reportedly stated that she was traveling in excess of 80 miles per hour in an effort to evade an ex-boyfriend. At this time, the information has not been verified. She further acknowledged that she saw the bike rider enter an intersection near the city’s university.

It is not clear whether she made any attempt to avoid hitting the 23-year-old man. She says fear took over and caused her to flee the scene of the collision. She reportedly tried to change her appearance by changing her hair color. She also made an effort to remove evidence of the fatal accident by attempting to clean off the deceased victim’s bodily remains from the vehicle.

This woman is now being charged with fleeing the accident scene. However, authorities have stated that they may upgrade the charges as the investigation proceeds. Due to a prior criminal record, she currently faces up to 84 months in jail. If she is subsequently charged with manslaughter, the potential prison term a conviction could bring would be more severe.

All the victim’s family members have left of their loved one is memories. This young man has been killed in the prime of his life, a victim of just one of the many bicycle accidents that regularly occur in Missouri and throughout the country. Regardless of the outcome of the criminal proceedings, the surviving family members may decide to seek their own form of justice by filing a wrongful death suit against the driver deemed responsible for the tragedy and the owner of the car she was driving. Should evidence suggest that the woman’s boyfriend was in active pursuit of her at the time of the collision, the family may choose to assess whether he may be added as a defendant as well.

Source: news-leader.com, Police: Woman who fled Sunday’s hit-and-run death said she was being chased, Jess Rollins, Nov. 20, 2013