Victim thinks Andres Trujillo got off easy
1176. Capital Heights, Md. Dec. 21. 14-year-old girl struck by two vehicles and killed, the second of which fled the scene.
1177. Santa Rosa, Cal. Dec. 22. 21-year-old man found dead on highway was likely a hit-and-run victim and not a homicide victim, according to the California Highway Patrol.
1178. Huntington Beach, Cal. Dec. 22. 69-year-old man on bicycle struck and killed by a dark-colored Toyota 4-Runner.
Francesca Moise
1180. Englewood, NJ. Dec. 24. 57-year-old anesthesiologist was struck and killed by a large, older model, SUV, possibly a Chevrolet Suburban.
1181. Lancaster, Pa. Dec. 24. Motorcyclist struck by red van which fled the scene.
1182. Auburn, Wash. Christmas Day. 27-year-old woman fatally struck by a car or truck which fled the scene.
1183. San Francisco. Dec. 26. 24-year-old man on bicycle suffers life-threatening injuries when struck by a sedan which did not stop.
1184. Jersey City, NJ. Dec. 26. 56-year-old man in critical condition after a red Ford Explorer slammed into him and knocked him 20 feet.
1185. El Cajon, Cal. Dec. 27. 48-year-old man suffers internal injuries after being struck by a gray Nissan Xterra that fled the scene.
1186. Dinuba, Cal. Dec. 27. Unidentified man on bicycle fatally struck by an undescribed car.
1187. Centralia, Ill. Dec. 26. 23-year-old man injured when struck by a Ford Taurus which fled the scene.
1188. Jonesport, Maine. Dec. 28. Woman struck by an unidentified vehicle. Details still emerging.
1189. Citrus Heights, Cal. Dec. Man in his 40s fatally struck by a small compact car which fled the scene.
Related stories:
And I quote (I)…
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — As friends and family members said goodbye Wednesday to a 25-year-old woman who was killed in a hit-and-run crash, a bizarre twist in the investigation stunned them.
Monroe County prosecutors said the wrong man had been arrested in the crash that killed Lacey Deckard.
And I quote (II)…
A Ceres man that was a victim of a hit and run earlier this month died of his injuries Saturday.
And I quote (III)…
MIAMI (WSVN) — Police have released surveillance video that may help capture a driver who struck a child and never looked back.
And I quote (IV)…
Tampa, Florida — On Tuesday, Andres Trujillo pleaded guilty to two counts of leaving the scene of an accident, one with an injury and another with a death.
Police say Trujillo admitted to his involvement of a hit and run crash on Kennedy Boulevard that killed UT student Erik Nicoletti and severely injured his friend, 20-year-old Cree Riley.
He will serve 15 years in prison, followed by 15 years probation under the terms of the plea deal.
It’s not the outcome Riley had hoped for.
“I’m kind of dumbfounded by the whole situation,” Riley told 10 News from her home in Pennsylvania.
And I quote (V)…
Miami police are searching for a hit and run driver who struck a young child being pushed in a stroller and fled the scene.
The crash happened early Sunday afternoon as the mother was about to cross Northwest 20th St. with one child at her side and her 2-year-old son in a stroller.
That’s when police say a black four-door Ford Crown Victoria veered off the road an onto the sidewalk, striking the youngster in the stroller, throwing him 15 feet across a parking lot.
Miraculously, the boy suffered only bruises and is expected to make a full recovery.
And I quote (VI)…
St. Petersburg, Florida – A Palm Harbor man whose facial tattoos say he’s proud to live in Florida is under arrest on charges he left the scene of a car crash. Erik Mackus, 19, was arrested late Tuesday night after, police say, he crashed a stolen car at 38th Avenue and 5th Street South.
And I quote (VII)…
MILLBURN (NJ) — Police are asking for the public’s help to identify the driver of black vehicle that struck and injured a bicyclist last week. Police are investigating the possibility that a black Lexus was involved in the crash, said Miller. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Millburn Police Department at (973) 564-7001.
And I quote (VIII)…
DAYTONA BEACH — A New Smyrna Beach salon owner told police a hit-and-run crash that killed a 42-year-old man had been “gnawing at her conscience.”
But that and other incriminating statements Jana C. Grant made after the Nov. 1, 2008, crash in which she was charged with leaving the scene may never see the light of day after a judge decided her statements were illegally obtained by police.
In related news, Circuit Judge James Clayton and defense attorney Thomas Mott should burn in Hell.
And I quote (IX) …
STAUNTON — An assistant prosecutor on Wednesday chose not to proceed with a case against a Staunton man accused of using his car to run over another man in September.
The Staunton Commonwealth’s Attorney could not be reached for comment after the afternoon hearing.
But family members of the victim in the case, Tony Burke, 49, of Staunton, say Burke was unable to testify in the preliminary hearing because his serious injuries confine him to a nursing facility.
Also worthy of Hellfire: Whomever made that decision.
And I quote (X) …
BILOXI, MS (WLOX) – A Biloxi man who spent time in jail for a hit and run accident that killed a man is in trouble again.
Thursday, Biloxi police arrested Richard Leleaux, 43, and charged him with drunk driving and felony crack possession. He’s being held on a $25,000 bond.
In May 2006, Leleaux struck and killed 90 year old George “Peaches” Harris.
And I quote (XI) …
WHITE PLAINS — Hit-and-run victim Raul Rios remains in a coma, in critical condition, as police continued today to try and identify the driver of a black Mercedes-Benz that hit him and drove away.
And I quote (XII) …
WEST WHITELAND — An individual whose car was hit by an alleged drunk driver is the reason police were able to apprehend the man after he left the scene of the accident.
And I quote (XIII)…
A man in a wheelchair suffered a severe head injury when struck by a hit-and-run driver near a National City intersection Christmas morning.
National City Police Sgt. Robert Rounds said the 57-year-old victim was riding a motorized scooter/wheelchair along the shoulder of Paradise Valley Road heading west near East 8th Street when he was struck from behind shortly after 10:30 a.m. by a burgundy pickup truck traveling about 50 mph.
“It totally destroyed the wheelchair and sent the man flying through the air,” Rounds said.
The driver of the pickup, 22-year-old Joshua Becerra of San Diego, stopped only long enough to remove debris from beneath the truck, then sped off.
And I quote (XIV)…
A Denver Post analysis of statewide sentencing data dating back to 2005 showed a drinking-related offense on average led to a 25-percent longer prison sentence than the one a defendant can expect in a hit-and-run case.
Likewise, the data from the state judicial system shows district attorneys more frequently than not dismissed charges related to fleeing the scene of a crash in an effort to reach a plea deal and avoid trial. Drunken drivers who injure someone can’t expect the same leniency.
And I quote (XV)…
Five cars, a fire hydrant, and three landscaped yards. That’s what an Avondale motorist hit on what police describe as a “path of destruction” Friday afternoon.
When he was done wreaking havoc on Avondale roadways, 34-year-old Justin Fernandez parked his mangled car in his own garage — with car parts and destruction acting as bread crumbs for Avondale cops, who arrested him shortly after his wild ride came to an end.
Caught, convicted, court appearance or car-on-car in … Prairieville, La.; Redding, Cal.; Jackson, NJ; Honolulu; Hempstead, NY; Brooklyn; Salinas, Cal.; Gurnee, Ill.; Syosset, NY; Socorro, Texas; Philipsburg, Pa.; Riverside, Cal.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Omaha, Neb.; Lockport, NY; Youngsville, La.; Anderson, Ind.; Gainesville, Fla.; Gloucester Twp., NJ; Chula Vista, Cal.; Woodburn, Oreg.; Napa, Cal.; Menallen Twp., Pa.; Middletown, Ohio; Rockview, Pa.; San Antonio, Texas;
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.)