Kern County’s Crisis: Congress, Community Respond as Area Ranks Among Worst for Fatal Hit-and-Run Crashes

Kern County now ranks among the nation’s deadliest regions for fatal hit-and-run crashes, a crisis fueled by reckless driving and street racing, which has led to a call for urgent action from both Congress and our local community.

A new national study ranked our region 14th in the nation for fatal hit-and-run crashes. The fatal hit-and-run rate is over 151% higher than the national average, and between 2018 and 2022, Kern and neighboring Tulare counties were both ranked among the top 25 in the nation for fatal hit-and-run incidents, according to officials. Many of these tragedies occur at night, often involving pedestrians in poorly lit areas or the aftermath of illegal street racing. The consequences are devastating for families left searching for justice and closure.

The crisis has prompted concern from local leaders, attorneys, and families, including Congressman David Valadao (Hanford), who has co-sponsored the bipartisan “They’re Fast, We’re Furious Act”. The bill would create a national Street Racing and Intervention Force, coordinated by the FBI, Department of Justice, and Department of Transportation, to combat illegal street racing and related crimes like hit-and-runs.

The task force would provide law enforcement with better resources and information, aiming to reduce tragedies and improve safety in communities across the country.

“I’m proud … to give law enforcement the tools they need to combat this dangerous trend,” Valadao said in a statement.

Local attorneys at the Law Office of Chain | Cohn | Clark have long called for change, and also called the recent ranking a wake-up call for our community.

“Kern County’s ranking is a sobering reminder that behind every statistic is a family forever changed,” said Chris Hagan, attorney and partner at Chain | Cohn | Clark. “Preventing hit-and-runs is about more than laws, it’s about community responsibility and compassion.”

Experts point to several contributing factors on why fatal hit-and-run crashes are so common in the Central Valley:

• Street Racing and Speeding: Illegal street racing and high-speed driving are increasingly common, especially in the Central Valley. Speeding is a factor in roughly one-third of all motor vehicle deaths nationwide, according to media reports.
• Poor Lighting and Infrastructure: Many fatal crashes happen in dark, poorly lit areas. Improved street lighting, especially downtown, could help prevent these tragedies.
• Lax Sentencing and Accountability: Victims’ families report frustration with light sentences for hit-and-run drivers, with some offenders serving minimal jail time for fatal incidents.
• Lack of Immediate Responsibility: Many drivers flee the scene, sometimes claiming they didn’t realize they hit a person, not an animal.

The pain of these types of incidents is deeply personal. Dawn Elliott, whose mother was killed in a 2020 hit-and-run, turned her grief into action by founding Helping HART, an organization supporting families affected by hit-and-runs and advocating for stronger prevention and enforcement. Her family are also clients of the Law Office of Chain | Cohn | Clark.

“Starting Helping HART and thinking about how I could turn a negative into something positive and help other families and possibly help the traffic department of BPD be able to have more resources to catch these people in a more timely manner really mattered to me,” Elliott told Bakersfield Eyewitness News.

So, what can be done locally? Some strategies including increasing police presence and targeted crackdowns on street racing and reckless driving; more street lighting and safer pedestrian crossings, especially in high-risk areas; Support for organizations like Helping HART and public awareness campaigns encouraging drivers to do the right thing; and harsher penalties for hit-and-run drivers and closing loopholes that let offenders return to the road too soon.

In the meantime, we can all start by thinking of our fellow neighbors any time we’re on local roadways.

“If you’re involved in a crash, don’t run: stand up and do what’s right,” Hagan said. “Stopping at the scene, checking on those involved, and calling for help isn’t just the law, it’s a measure of your humanity. In that moment, choose compassion over cowardice and be the person you’d want someone else to be for you.”

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If you or someone you know is injured in an accident at the fault of someone else, or injured on the job no matter whose fault it is, contact the attorneys at Chain | Cohn | Clark by calling (661) 323-4000, or fill out a free consultation form, text, or chat with us at chainlaw.com.