Memorial at the site where 5-year-old Benjamin Clem was killed by a hit-and-run driver who has since been arrested
An ongoing collection of unsolved hit-and-run cases, with a focus on car/pedestrian incidents, from across the country since Jan. ‘010. If you know something about any of these incidents, or one that I’ve missed, do the right thing and call the police, even anonymously.
5046. Thornton, Colo. April 17. Man fatally struck by a 1995 Chevrolet cargo van which fled the scene; suspect IDd as man who lives in the van; not yet caught.
5047-50. Plano, Texas. April 17. Four people injured when struck by a vehicle which fled the scene; driver arrested shortly thereafter.
5051. Gastonia, NC. April 18. 53-year-old man injured when struck by two vehicles which fled the scene.
5052. Memphis, Tenn. April 18. Pedestrian fatally struck by a silver SUV which fled the scene.
5053. Los Angeles, Cal. April 19. 16-year-old male on bike fatally struck by an unidentified vehicle which fled the scene.
5054. Pine Bluff, Ark. April 18. 14-year-old boy fatally struck by a vehicle which fled the scene; driver later arrested.
5055. Charlotte, NC. April 19. 43-year-old woman injured when struck by an older-model white Jeep Grand Cherokee which fled the scene.
5056. Westbrook, Maine. April 19. 22-year-old man seriously injured when struck by an unidentified vehicle which fled the scene.
5057. Los Angeles, Cal. Easter. 35-year-old man injured when struck by a stolen 2011 Toyota Corolla which fled the scene.
5058. Louisville, Ky. Easter. Pedestrian suffers life-threatening injuries when struck by a brown or maroon SUV which fled the scene.
Related stories:
Eduardo Arguellas
And I quote (I)…
EDINBURG — Two men were arrested after police say they struck and killed an avid cyclist and popular University of Texas-Pan American employee, then attempted to dump the man’s body in a drainage ditch Thursday morning.
The incident is the third fatality of a bicyclist in less than a month. A pickup truck struck a bicyclist north of Edinburg on March 29, and another cyclist died after she was hit by a car in McAllen on March 27.
Friends of Thursday’s victim — Eduardo Arguelles, 38 — said the incident underscores the ongoing challenge bicyclists face in sharing area roads
“People tell me that here in the Valley there is no respect for cyclists,” said Irma Hermida, who worked with Arguelles in the UTPA Information Technology division.
And I quote (II)…
A child was killed after being hit by a driver in Pleasure Ridge Park Thursday evening, and the man who allegedly struck the boy and sped off has been charged with murder.
Benjamin Clem, 5, was struck by a mini van while riding a scooter near his home in the 5800 block of Grandel Boulevard around 7 p.m. Thursday, said Officer Carey Klain, a Louisville Metro Police spokeswoman.
And I quote (III)…
A woman who pleaded guilty to driving into a crowd during a vigil for a man killed in a hit-and-run accident was sentenced to five years’ probation Thursday.
Rochelle Taylor, 21, was sentenced for the Feb. 8 accident on Hylda Avenue on the South Side. She pleaded guilty to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident.
Police said Taylor ran into a crowd that was having a vigil for 23-year-old Robert Brown, who was killed about a week earlier at just about the same spot, also by a hit-and-run driver.
And I quote (IV)…
Benjamin had been with his father and brother, riding the scooter neighbor Ray Kaelin said he so dearly loved.
“He was a happy-go-lucky kid. He had a lot of energy. They used to love to run and ride the scooter up and down the street,” said Kaelin.
Now, there’s a single teddy bear and orange streaks police used to reconstruct the scene where Benjamin was hit.
“Just like one of my kids. I feel like I lost one of mine, because I won’t see him out there,” said Kaelin.
And I quote (V)…
CORPUS CHRISTI – The investigation into three hit and run case in Corpus Christi are back to almost square one thanks to problems at a crime lab in the Rio Grande Valley.
Caught, convicted, court appearance or car-on-car in … Wailuku, Hawaii; Dallas, Texas; Hamilton, NJ; Collingdale, Pa.; Kihei, Hawaii; Bethlehem Twp., Pa.; Lodi, NJ; Danville, Va.; Raleigh, NC; Spartanburg, SC.
More hit-and-run stories, including every volume of Hit-and-Run America (in reverse order), are accessible from this linked page. (The full Volume-by-Volume list will appear sporadically from now on.)