3 February Hit-and-Run Accidents Leave L.A. Home Damaged, Child in Critical Condition, and Rap Star’s Father Dead

Feb 25, 2021

According to researchers from the American Automobile Association (AAA), hit-and-run accidents occurred at a rate of around one per minute in 2018. With over 600,000 hit-and-runs occurring every year, these dangerous accidents are trending up at an alarming rate. During a study conducted between 2009 and 2016, AAA found that hit-and-run deaths rose 60%. 65% of those fatalities were pedestrians and bicyclists, and almost 90% of these accidents resulted in neither criminal nor civil litigation.

California has the seventh-most hit-and-run accidents per capita in America, including 334 fatalities in 2016. The Los Angeles Times reported a worrying increase in hit-and-run accidents involving pedestrians or bicyclists, and with 134 pedestrian deaths in 2017, L.A. doubled its total from just two years prior.

Three tragic hit-and-run accidents occurred this month, making nationwide headlines. A hit-and-run in Kansas City left a 5-year-old girl in critical condition. Singer Nicki Minaj’s father, Robert Maraj, was struck by an errant driver in Mineola, New York. And a reckless driver crashed into a home in South Los Angeles, causing significant structural damage. With these severe accidents occurring in the span of just a few days, drivers and pedestrians should take a moment to reflect on how to exercise greater care on the road.

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Accident #1: Father of Multi-Platinum Artist Killed in Hit-and-Run Over Valentine’s Day Weekend

Robert Maraj, the 64-year-old father of multi-platinum selling rapper Nicki Minaj, was struck by a hit-and-run driver on the evening of February 12. According to the Nassau County Police Department, the accident occurred at 6:15 p.m. Maraj was pronounced dead at a local hospital on the morning of February 13th.

Reports indicate that Maraj was crossing the street during the accident when the offending driver struck him and continued without stopping. Maraj recently became a grandfather when his daughter and her husband, Kenneth Petty, welcomed a baby boy in September 2020.

Having announced her retirement in July of 2020, Minaj has not yet made a public statement on her father’s death.

Accident #2: 5-Year-Old Girl Injured in Hit-and-Run in Kansas City Awakes From Coma

Britt Reid, the son of Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and former assistant coach for the team, struck two vehicles on the shoulder of a Missouri highway just two days before the Chiefs were to appear in the Super Bowl. Britt Reid did not attend the game.

Reid’s truck smashed into the vehicles while traveling southbound on Interstate 435 near Arrowhead Stadium. Local police note that a vehicle was stranded on the side of the road and a family member arrived in their own car to offer assistance. While the two vehicles sat on the shoulder, Reid’s pickup truck struck both, injuring a 4 and 5-year-old child.

The 5-year-old remained in a coma for several days until she awoke on February 16th. Her aunt, Tiffany Verhulst, announced on a GoFundMe page she established to pay for the child’s medical expenses that Ariel Young woke up from her coma but remains in critical condition. The 4-year-old involved in the accident suffered a broken nose and concussion.

Britt Reid suffered injuries and required surgery after the accident. He is no longer with the Kansas City Chiefs, and he remains under investigation by both the NFL and local police. While explaining the accident to the police, Reid said that he had “two or three” drinks, creating an unfavorable combination with his Adderall prescription. Medical experts note that mixing alcohol and Adderall can reduce inhibitions and impair reaction time.

Accident #3: South Los Angeles Home Damaged by Hit-and-Run Driver

The Los Angeles Police Department is searching for a driver who fled the scene of an accident in the Vermont-Slauson section of South Los Angeles. On the evening of February 15th, two vehicles crashed, forcing one to collide with the home of Martha Salazar. The accident was reported around midnight, and neighbors stated they had heard a car spin out at the time of the crash.

Police eliminated both street racing and “doing donuts” as possible causes of the accident. No other information is currently available on the driver, but a victim was seen receiving medical treatment at the scene. The LAPD is investigating the circumstances of the accident and how the offending vehicles are related to one another.