A police officer from the Patterson Police Department has been arrested for a fatal hit-and-run of a pedestrian. Jaquill Fields, along with his brother Ameen, were walking near the intersection of North Fourth and Temple streets in Paterson when a car, seeming to come out of nowhere, hit the two brothers and sent them in opposite directions. While Ameen ran over to his brother immediately, he was unable to help. A neighbor called 911 and Jaquill was transported to St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson, where he died of his injuries. Jaquill lived with his girlfriend and two-year-old son. 

Ameen Fields reported that it appeared to him that the driver had no intention of stopping and sped off immediately from the scene of the accident, which occurred at around 8:25 in the evening. Investigators found the driver, 30-year-old Jose Urena. Urena is a seven-year veteran of the Paterson Police Department. Only last year, Urena was lauded for rescuing three 6-year-old triplets from a burning building. Urena was off-duty when the crash occurred, and has since been suspended from the police force without pay. Urena was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident and posted a bond of $50,000. The Fields family has retained an attorney to assist with their potential future claims against Urena, but have not yet filed a lawsuit.

While insurance is designed to compensate victims of accidents for their injuries, sometimes the basic insurance policy that the at-fault driver has simply isn’t enough to cover the expenses at issue. Here, the wrongful death of a man in his 20s, the decades of lost income to his family and child, the medical expenses incurred prior to Jaquill’s death, and any pain and suffering he may have experienced, are forms of compensation to which his family may well be entitled. If your family has been victimized by a tragic accident such as this one, find legal help that can ensure you’re compensated for your loss. Contact the seasoned Morristown personal injury and wrongful death attorneys at Smith & Doran for a free consultation on your claim, at 973-292-0016.