Friends of Michael “Socks” Cavanaugh say he was leaving the Motor City Muscle festival in downtown Detroit when a driver hit him and took off. Cavanaugh died at the scene.
The driver turned himself later in the day on Monday, but the pain is very much present for his friends.
"He was took young, he didn’t deserve it he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Cavanaugh’s friend Alyssa Hiveley.
This hit and run marks the fourth hit and run in the past month.
"That in and of itself whether the accident was or was not your fault can have serious repercussions on your freedom,” said Larry Dubin.
Larry Dubin is a law professor at Detroit Mercy, and have represented hit and run drivers in the past. Dubin believes a lack of insurance might be the reason why people take off.
"One of the dangers here that I think as a society we face is that there are a lot of uninsured drivers and that can be a motivation for leaving the scene of an accident,” said Dubin.
He says with cameras and social media; it’s likely police will eventually catch up to the driver.
If you do leave, expect to serve up to 15 years in prison depending on the severity of the accident.
“If you leave the scene of an accident that will make the police less willing to agree to a reduced charge, it will generally infuriate a judge much more against you teams of any discretion in terms of sentencing,” said Dubin.
