'He Didn't Stop!' Chris Soules' First Hit-And-Run Victim RIPS Him For Fleeing
Chris Soules called 911 before leaving the scene of the fatal car accident that landed him behind bars, but he didn't do the same for the victim in his first hit-and-run crash. In an exclusive interview with RadarOnline.com, the victim from The Bachelor star's 2002 crash reveals he fled the scene and didn't look back.
"I found out about it yesterday," Jill Marie Johnson told RadarOnline.com of Soules' April 24th crash. "I didn't connect the dots until my parents showed me an article about it – I couldn't believe it!"
Johnson was an 18-year-old University of Northern Iowa student on her way to work in Cedar Rapids when Soules ran a stop sign and hit her car in February 2002.
"It wasn't a dramatic crash, but he left the scene and I got pissed," she said. "I thought I could drive after him, but I didn't get far because my car couldn't drive fast because of the damage."
Johnson, 33, who now works as a therapist, claims she was "disappointed" that he ran off without checking on her.
"He didn't stop to see my condition to see if I was all right," she said. "I never saw him, I only saw a red flash!"
Johnson, who was not injured in the crash, called 911 and filed an accident report.
"I told the police that I suspected that he could have been impaired from the night before – and that's why he fled," she said. "We found out later he was in an accident the day before and that he left the scene because he didn't want the second crash to affect his insurance. It's a fear-based reaction. Most people usually stop."
As RadarOnline.com reported, the ABC star pled guilty to the charges and was ordered to pay $155 in fines.
But the drama didn't end there, as the farmer's father refused to pay for the damages! Johnson's father, who declined to speak with RadarOnline.com, handled the negotiations.
"They did give me a hard time because they didn't want to get Soules' insurance involved," she said. (The Soules' eventually paid._
Despite her trouble with Soules, 33, in the past, she was sympathetic towards his current situation.
"It's a horrible situation for both the Soules family and the man's family," she said. "It's a small rural area and I'm sure both families know each other."
As readers know, Soules rear-ended the tractor of Kenneth Mosher, 66, on April 24, killing him. After a frantic 911 call, Soules left the scene and was arrested hours later at an Arlington home.
Attorneys for the former ABC star believe the case should be dismissed because Soules checked on Mosher and called 911 before leaving the scene.
"Mr. Soules did not depart the scene until he was assured emergency personnel had the situation in hand," the motion read. "As a matter of law, the State cannot prove Mr. Soules did not render 'reasonable assistance.' Mr. Soules' actions at the scene, as captured by the 911 recording, unquestionably were 'reasonable.'"
Do you think the case should be dismissed? Tell us in the comments!
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