Lawyer for arrested man says Hurricane fatality a 'tragic accident,' not a hit-and-run

HURRICANE — The driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run near 500 N. State St. on March 21 has been arrested, officials said Friday.

In a statement released by the Hurricane Police Department, William J. Hendrickson told police officers on Friday that he was driving the vehicle and knew he had hit something, but thought it was debris in the road.

Hendrickson's attorney, Jason Schatz, reiterated that stance Sunday in a statement released to the media, calling the incident a "tragic accident."

Schatz said "all indications" are that the deceased man was "lying prone in the road at the time he was struck."

"Mr. Hendrickson believed what he struck was either roadkill hit by the other vehicle which had already stopped at the scene or some sort of debris," Schatz continued. "We look forward to working with law-enforcement to bring closure to this tragic accident for all of the parties involved and our hearts go out to the friends and family of the deceased."

Hendrickson was identified by police through security footage of a local business that showed the 2006 Honda Ridgeline he was driving at the time of the incident, according to the statement.

Prior to the hit-and-run, a welfare check was called into police around 1:18 a.m. on March 21 reporting that a man was in the roadway acting strangely. While police were responding to perform the check, the 22-year-old Hurricane man was struck by a vehicle heading southbound.

Officers attempted lifesaving measures when they arrived. The man was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Following his interview with police, Hendrickson was booked into jail on suspicion of leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Hendrickson's vehicle has also been seized to be examined by investigators, police said.

The identity of the victim was not released.

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