No longer unclear on the concept

On a dark night last summer a woman hit something alongside the road. She didn't stop.

It wasn't until a news story about two teenagers who happened across Cayle Hanson as he was lying by the side of the road appeared on The Record-Courier's Web site that information about who hit him came to light.

That's when 27-year-old Melissa Rose Hernandez found herself facing a decade in prison for leaving the scene of an accident.

The first photo that appeared in print of Hernandez made it clear that she had no clue what was happening.

The reality of her actions sank all the way in last week when District Judge Dave Gamble pronounced sentence.

There's been some contention over Hernandez's sentence because of the nature of the victim's injuries.

Judge Dave Gamble made clear that Hernandez's sentence was based on the crime she committed, not the injuries inflicted on her victim.

Hernandez received a suspended three-year prison term with a long five-year probation, during which she will have to remain employed and make payments toward the restitution she was ordered to pay.

Leaving the scene of an accident is a crime that deserves a harsh punishment. But leaving Hernandez free to work and raise the $54,807 she's required to pay in restitution will do more than teach a lesson. It may help the Hanson family in a way that having Hernandez sitting in prison earning pennies a week couldn't.