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Drunk driver found hiding after hit-and-run

Is it necessary to write "found hiding"? It seems like the only time you can find something is when it is hidden or missing. Is this statement redundant?

Isn't the above the same as writing things like "Man drowns in water"? (I would think it would be correct to be specific if he drowned in a strange substance.)

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    The original headline is OK.
    – GEdgar
    Commented Jun 22, 2012 at 16:33
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    It's definitely acceptable. It's very possible to find someone who is not currently hiding. I feel like it clarifies by stating that the driver was still in the act of hiding when he was found.
    – AndyPerfect
    Commented Jun 22, 2012 at 16:46
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    I find the original headline acceptable.
    – cornbread ninja 麵包忍者
    Commented Jun 22, 2012 at 16:46
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    I find this question to be General Reference - and it's certainly not "hiding" from me.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jun 22, 2012 at 18:12
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    @FumbleFingers, I'm curious: exactly what dictionary or encyclopedia answers this question? What headword would I look under?
    – Marthaª
    Commented Jun 22, 2012 at 18:43

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Nothing redundant about that. "Found" just means discovered. It doesn't mean that the person or object in question was in a really difficult to discover place.

If it just said "Drunk driver found after hit-and-run", I'd assume (before reading the article) that most likely he was found a few blocks away, probably in the middle of the street passed out over the wheel of his car or something.

For example, let's take this recent headline: Rodney King found dead in swimming pool. This doesn't mean that he was hiding there, or wasn't out in the open. In fact, the person who "found" him may not have even been trying to find him. That is just where he happened to be when it was discovered that he had died.

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  • He was found just a few blocks away...Ha.
    – MVCylon
    Commented Jun 22, 2012 at 18:06
  • Was he "hiding" behind the wheel of his car in the middle of the road? If so, I may have to retract my answer. :-)
    – T.E.D.
    Commented Jun 22, 2012 at 18:30
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    "Scarcipino reportedly abandoned his car in the 4800 block of Wild Pointe Drive and fled but was found hiding behind bushes."
    – MVCylon
    Commented Jun 22, 2012 at 19:13
  • OK. That was an acutal (if not rather effective) attempt to evade capture, so I'm keeping my answer. :-)
    – T.E.D.
    Commented Jun 22, 2012 at 21:31
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Similar to Andy's comment: I think the use of hiding adds meaning, because it infers that the driver knew he had done something wrong, was in trouble, and was evading authorities.

Oh, as to the assertion that "the only time you can find something is when it is hidden or missing" – I found a dollar bill on the sidewalk yesterday. I found an empty bottle on my front lawn, too.

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