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.
2409. Muscatine, Iowa. March 26. 12-year-old boy on bicycle injured when struck by a white, four-door car which fled the scene. “According to Lt. Jeff Jirak, the driver of the car stopped, got out and asked the boy if he was OK. When the boy responded that he thought he was, the woman allegedly told him, ‘Don’t tell your parents,’ and then got back in the car and drove off.”
2410. Chicago. March 27. 25-year-old man and six-month old puppy injured when struck by an unidentified vehicle which fled the scene.
2411. Kearny Mesa, Cal. March 29. 29-year-old man on bicycle fatally struck by a blue Ford Expedition which fled the scene (and two other cars in different lanes, the last car ended up on top of his body.
2412. Brooklyn, NY. March 28. 25-year-old man skateboarding fatally struck by a Mercury minivan, believed to be red or burgundy, which was trying to beat a red light and then a white Honda or Acura sedan. Both vehicles fled.
2413. Lincoln Park, Mich. March 24. 14-year-old boy injured when struck by a red Ford Focus which drove away.
2414. Hazelton, Pa. March 28. 11-year-old boy critically injured when struck by a brown pickup truck, possibly a Chevrolet Silverado or a Dodge Ram, which fled the scene.
2415. Stafford Twp., NJ. March 29. Woman critically injured when struck by a Subaru Impreza with a model year between 2003 and 2011 which fled the scene. (Update: Arrest)
2416. San Francisco, Cal. March 28. Woman in her 60s critically injured when possibly struck by a San Francisco Municipal Railway bus which fled.
2417. Saginaw, Mich. March 30. Unidentified man hospitalized after being struck by unidentified vehicle which fled the scene.
2418-19. Edmond, Okla. March 29. Two University of Central Oklahoma students hospitalized when struck by a white or light minivan which fled the scene.
2420. New Whiteland, Ind. March 29. 6-year-old boy riding his bike injured when struck by a four-door subcompact car, similar to a Pontiac Sunbird or Chevrolet Cavalier, one witness said it was a gold car, which fled the scene.
2421. Lincoln, Neb. March 29. 50-year-old man struck and killed by a minivan which fled the scene.
Related stories:
Oh look, the bikini girl from American Idol got popped for DUI, possible hit-and-run charges…
Katrina Darrell — the chick who famously auditioned for “American Idol” in a bikini back in 2009 — was arrested this morning for DUI … TMZ has learned.
According to Pomona PD Sgt. Patrick O’Malley, the 24-year-old singer … also known as “Bikini Girl” … was arrested in Los Angeles at 12:16 AM … with her mother in the passenger seat.
Darrell allegedly told police she was en route to a nearby hospital … because her mom had fallen down at home.
But while Katrina was driving to the hospital, she allegedly ran a red light and smashed into another vehicle.
Darrell allegedly tried to flee the scene … but a nearby officer who heard the crash responded and pulled over Katrina’s 2004 Toyota Camry.
When the officer approached Katrina, he smelled booze … and gave her a field sobriety test. She performed poorly … and was arrested for DUI.
Katrina — who was crying hysterically during the arrest — was hauled to a nearby police station … where she took a breathalyzer test … and blew a .15 and a .17 … WAYYYY over the legal limit, .08.
From the horrible-people files…
Twitter users were condemned as ‘sick ghouls’ last night after they posted pictures of a woman decapitated when she was hit by a 40-ton lorry on a busy road.
Passersby stopped in rush-hour traffic to take grisly pictures of the victim’s body on their phones.
They then uploaded the disturbing photos to their Twitter accounts. One picture on Twitter showing a severed leg was later deleted.
And here’s how I determined some douchebag lawyer/writer from Chicago doesn’t seem to realize the “run” part of a hit-and-run is pretty damn important even if they get caught later, even if the fatality rates don’t vary much from non-hit-and-runs and, yes, even in an impenetrably-worded analysis…
Here’s how I determined that hit-and-run crashes are no worse than hit-no-run crashes.
In perfect-name-for-the-crime news…
Police said a drunk Longview man crashed his van into a parked truck Monday, threatened to kill witnesses who chased him to his home and then took refuge in his attic. A Longview police dog sniffed out Chase Lee Smith, 27, who had burrowed under the attic’s insulation, according to a police report.
The Russian RusVelo team faces the possibility that it will lose the services of one of its riders, Ivan Kovalev, as the result of a hit and run accident in Australia.
And I quote (I)…
The hit and run occurred the first week of November while she was Christmas shopping at Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora. But Naperville resident Melissa Sandve still has $4,000 in damage to her car and a beef with the Aurora Police Department, neither of which she says will go away anytime soon.
It turns out her car was hit in the process of another crime allegedly being committed at the mall. According to the investigation, a female shoplifter ran to the parking lot with the stolen items and jumped into a waiting vehicle with the door still open. And that open door hit Sandve’s car as it peeled out of the parking lot.
And I quote (II)…
Students and professors rallied to assist Armstrong, some dialing 911 as others tried to contact her parents, said Jeannie Loeb, a senior lecturer in the psychology department. The driver immediately fled the scene, police said.
“I saw the car hit her and then take an immediate right and speed off again,” said freshman Anna Cantwell, who also witnessed the incident. “I heard a scream and a huge crash.”
And I quote (III)…
Blake’s father, Larry Livingston, said his son was a “good, jovial” person who was “well loved by the community.”
“This is not a matter where you’re ratting on someone, this is a situation where we’re trying to get some closure,” said Livingston. “If the shoe was on the other foot, I’m quite sure that the person who did this — if it was his family — he would also want closure.
“If the person [is] listening: We understand that accidents do happen. We don’t have any anger or animosity against this person. What we do have is forgiveness for this person. However, we still would like this person to have enough integrity to step forward.”
And I quote (IV)…
Thursday night three of five teenagers remained hospitalized after a hit-and-run crash in Northumberland County.
The teacher accused of hitting them, Victor Swaboski, 39, is behind bars on DUI charges.
At Mount Carmel Area High School, students said their thoughts are with their three classmates who remain in the hospital after police said they were hit by a suspected drunk driver.
Pawanjit Singh
A hit-and-run driving incident that killed a 28-year-old woman is now classified as a homicide, and Sunnyvale police say the suspect has fled to Dubai and may be on his way to India.
The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety is working with federal law enforcement agencies to find and bring back Pawanjit Singh, 25. They say he was the driver in the hit-and-run that killed Jennifer Flores, a San Jose woman, late Sunday night near Mission College.
And I quote (VI)…
BELHAVEN, N.C.– Officials say an OnStar system helped them track down a school bus that was the victim of a hit-and-run accident this week.
And I quote (VII)…
“We’re so sorry. Unfortunately this happened, but he’s not a monster who goes out and drives drunk. It’s not supposed to happen, but it did,” said Garcia crying.
And I quote (VIII)…
The family of a man killed in a hit-and-run outside a North Side nightclub is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Miguel Alonzo III, 24, was run over early Nov. 13 as he left The Falls, a club near Bitters Road and West Avenue, police said.
“He didn’t deserve to die like that,” his mother, Cynthia Rodriguez, said Tuesday. “There’s not one day that I don’t miss my son.”
And I quote (IX)…
An Austin man is charged with failure to stop and render aid, after police say hitting and killing a pedestrian with his truck earlier this month, according to arrest records.
According to an arrest affidavit, officers found John Alvarez, 39, at his home March 13 after he hit 69-year-old William Hicks with his truck on Manchaca Road. Hicks died on the scene, according to the affidavit. After hitting the man, Alvarez told a friend he knew he was in a lot of trouble and said, “I thought I hit a deer,” the affidavit said.
And I quote (X)…
CLIFTON, NJ — Authorities released a new description of the vehicle they believe struck and killed two pedestrians on Route 46 two weeks ago.
Police now believe the vehicle was a black Cadillac Escalade, which has a model year between 2002 and 2005. The Escalade has a silver or grey front grill, which should be damaged, said Sgt. Michael Bienkowski.
Investigators originally believed the car was a silver or gray BMW, but now — without elaborating — ask that the public disregard the description and focus on the new information.
And I quote (XI)…
A Bradenton man wants the driver who hit him while he was riding his motorcycle the night of St. Patrick’s Day to come forward.
John McKinnon is still recovering from injuries he suffered two weekends ago in a crash that happened less than a half-mile from his home.
“We all mess up; we have to answer for our actions,” McKinnon said. “If we don’t, someone else is left holding that torch, and in this case, it’s me.”
According to Bay News 9 partner newspaper The Bradenton Herald, witnesses told Florida Highway Patrol the car that struck McKinnon is a white, older-model Oldsmobile with a dark top. Police say the car should have damage to the front and right side.
Caught, convicted, court appearance or car-on-car in … Beaverton, Oreg.; Melfa, Del.; Durham, NC; Nogales, Texas; Summit County, Colo.; Richmond, Ind.; Newburgh, Ind.; Cleveland, Ohio; Camden, NJ; Jacksonville, Fla.; Carbondale, Ill.; Dorchester, Mass.; Neenah, Wisc.; Honolulu, Hawaii; Spokane, Wash.; Batavia, NY; Baytown, Texas; Waseco, Minn.; Caldwell County, Ky.; Mamaroneck, NY.
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.)