Matthew Philbin, a U.S. Army first lieutenant and the son of Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin, crashed his Jeep into a Honda Civic and fled the scene of the accident, leaving behind an injured driver, Ayana Stewart of the Miami Herald reports. This according to a police report.
According to the report, the incident happened March 23 in Austin, Texas. The 26-year-old, who is stationed at Fort Hood, allegedly drove the wrong way down a one-way street and collided with 22-year-old Kristen Robinson, who had a green light.
Robinson suffered arm, head and neck injuries. One witness who saw the crash said she appeared to be in shock.
According to Austin Police Detective D. Drake, the witness stopped and asked for Philbin‘s cellphone to call for help.
Philbin refused, asking both the victim and witness to avoid calling the police. Soon after, he hailed a cab and fled the scene.
When police arrived, they found his iPhone, wallet and military identification card. According to the report, Philbin had text messages from a friend concerned that he was driving while intoxicated. Both Robinson and the witness identified Philbin in a lineup.
Based on the evidence found at the scene, Drake said the case seemed pretty routine. But then Philbin’s attorney reached out to police and asked them to postpone the investigation.
“He asks me to hold off on the investigation because [Philbin] was about to be promoted to captain in the military,” he said. When the victim’s father found out, he called officials at Fort Hood and informed them of the charges.
Philbin is a West Point grad who served overseas for a year. He is charged with failing to stop and render aid, a third-degree felony. His court date is set for July 7.
July 4th, 2014 
Matt Loede 
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