Lance Armstrong Finally Charged With Hit and Run Violation; Girlfriend Admits That She Lied About Driving
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| A December 2014 hit-and-run car accident in Aspen, Colorado that just barely involved the disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong — and only by association of his girlfriend, Anna Hansen, who later confessed to the crime — now seems to be a hit-and-run accident caused by Armstrong himself.
The Aspen Police Department was called on December 29th and received a report that a hit-and-run accident had taken place, affecting two parked cars. Although there were no reported injuries, there was significant damage to the cars. It later became clear that Anna Hansen, the girlfriend of Lance Armstrong, had been driving on December 28th when she lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the two parked cars. When she was first questioned by the police, Hansen stated that she had been driving back from an art museum fundraising event because Armstrong “had a little bit to drink.” Hansen said that she had driven away from the crash, but that she later returned on foot to the cars and spoke to a homeowner who lived nearby. Hansen proceeded to leave, thinking that she had provided enough information, and not realizing that she was still committing a hit-and-run offense by failing to notify the police of what had occurred. But just a couple days later in a December 31st interview, Hansen admitted that she hadn’t been driving the car that night. Instead, it appears that Armstrong was driving at the time. When the police discovered discrepancies in Hansen’s story, she eventually admitted that the couple had decided to have her take the blame, in order to avoid publicity. Although the police decided not to charge Hansen with withholding information, Armstrong was not so lucky. He now faces two tickets: one for driving recklessly in unsafe conditions, and another for failing to report an accident. “Moving away from the scene where one has hit property that isn’t theirs — whether it be a tree, cement wall, or car — no matter how far that person ends up traveling, will always be considered a hit and run,” said Amir Soleimanian, owner and founder of Mr. Ticket. “If you happen to hit something with your vehicle, the appropriate thing to do is to leave your name and contact information on a piece of paper if you absolutely need to leave the scene. Then make sure to call 911 and report the accident as soon as possible.” |
