As one of my worst driving fears has always been hitting a pedestrian, this report in the Philadelphia Inquirer struck a nerve:

Police said the men were driving south on the highway at about 2:30 a.m. when their car became disabled in the lefthand shoulder near the Girard Avenue exit.

The men got out of the car and tried to cross to the other side of the highway. Cars on the interstate frequently travel in excess of 80 m.p.h.

The fourth man was the last one out of the car, said Officer Sheila Smith, a police spokeswoman. He was hit by a car that did not stop.

The other men kept going.

"What kind of friends are those?" Smith said.

She said investigators were not sure yesterday whether the man died instantly or suffered on the side of the road. He carried no identification.

Smith was unable to provide further details, including whether the three men who fled would face charges.

Police described the dead man as a 5-foot-5, 170-pound Latino in his 20s with tattoos on both arms. He was wearing blue jeans, a heavy black sweater, and black basketball shoes with a red design on the side.

So what the hell are you supposed to do when you're going 70 and some complete maniac runs out in front of you? It's like hitting a deer, except that hitting a deer only ruins your car and your evening. The psychological stress of hitting a person can ruin your life.

The article also states that the "police are using clues from their disabled 1991 Plymouth to find the three who ran away and to identify the dead man."

Clues?

Didn't the car have license plates and registration?

What kind of people carry no identification, abandon a car on an Interstate highway, and then run away from a companion who gets run over? I don't know, but I'd be willing to bet that if you were unlucky enough to have them run in front of you, whoever you hit would manage to find a lawyer.

And don't think that the lawyer wouldn't be able to establish a theory of liability. All it takes is an allegation that the defendant was going faster than the ridiculous 55 mph limit which no one obeys.

Sheesh!

Next I suppose they'll use illegal pedestrians as an excuse to lower the speed limits.

At the rate things are going, the East Coast will have to start putting up signs like this (which I thought had been limited to border areas in California, Arizona and Texas):

AFTERTHOUGHT: Might it be "offensive" to call illegal pedestrians "illegal pedestrians"?

UPDATE (11/23/05): The dead man has been identified, and police are looking for the driver:

One of the men told police they ran because they were scared and did not know Molina had been hit, Golden said. Police say they know who was driving the Plymouth but have not been able to locate him.

Golden said that the men were returning from Camden and that alcohol may have been a factor. It is unclear whether the driver was properly licensed and whether the car was properly registered and insured, Golden said.

Authorities do not know why the driver whose vehicle hit Molina did not stop, Golden said. Based on Molina's injuries, the vehicle most likely was a van or car, Golden said.

On many stretches of I-95, it would not be safe to pull over after hitting such a "pedestrian." Unless the driver had a cell phone, I think the only thing he could do safely would be to drive to the next exit, call the police from a pay phone, and wait.

Pennsylvania law requires a mandatory one year minimum prison sentence for failure to stop at the scene of a fatal accident (judges are specifically not allowed to give probation or suspended sentences.)

I doubt the driver will be turning himself in anytime soon.