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.
4816. Laguna Beach, Cal. Feb. 24. 51-year-old man critically injured struck by a dark two-door sedan which fled the scene.
4817. Eugene, Ore. Feb. 28. Woman injured when struck by a minivan which fled the scene.
4818. New Orleans, La. March 1. 21-year-old man on skateboard fatally struck by an unidentified vehicle which fled the scene.
4819. Shenango, Pa. Feb. 28. Man killed when struck by an unidentified vehicle which fled the scene.
4820-23. Tampa, Fla. March 2. Family of four injured when struck by an SUV which fled the scene.
4824. Brooklyn, NY. March 2. Pedestrian injured when struck by an SUV which fled the scene.
4825. Austin, Texas. March 2. 24-year-old man fatally struck by a blue pickup truck which fled the scene.
4826. Grand Rapids, Mich. March 3. Woman fatally struck by an unidentified vehicle which fled the scene.
4827. Stockton, Cal. March 3. Pedestrian fatally struck by an unidentified vehicle which fled the scene.
Related stories:
Hit-and-run victim Amanda O’Malley
And I quote (I)…
WORCESTER (CBS) — Police say a 17-year-old is facing charges after leaving the scene of an accident that left a woman seriously injured.
Twenty-three-year-old Amanda O’Malley was walking her dog near her home on Belmont Street Friday night when a car struck her and then left the scene.
And I quote (II)…
Cops on Friday were grilling a suspected hit-and-run driver after she mowed down a man crossing a downtown Manhattan street earlier in the day.
The woman was driving a rented luxury sedan westbound on Hester Street and turned left onto the Bowery at 7 a.m., when she plowed into Tak Ng, 63, leaving him unconscious in the roadway, police said.
The unidentified driver jumped out of the 2014 red Infiniti Q50 and walked over to the severely injured victim, cops said.
But she then heartlessly dashed back to car and sped away, heading toward Brooklyn, cops said.
And I quote (III)…
[E]xperts who have studied driving behavior say drivers flee the scenes of accidents for a variety of reasons.
Sheer panic is perhaps the main motivator, experts say, but a driver might be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, lack insurance, or may be wanted on other criminal charges.
“It’s fear of getting caught, particularly if a hit-and-run driver may have been driving recklessly or drunk,” said James Fox, dean of the criminal justice college at Northeastern University. “It could be someone who is fleeing from another crime or someone without a license.
“It could be someone doing something they shouldn’t be doing or have someone in the car who they shouldn’t be with.”
Police officers who investigate hit-and-run cases say they are surprised at how many law-abiding citizens will run away from an accident.
“It’s only human nature that a person is going to be traumatized or scared in any type of automobile accident, let alone running down three pedestrians,” said Chuck Barham, a detective with the Sacramento police department who has made a career out of investigating hit-and-run accidents.
And I quote (IV)…
DENVER – Colorado House Representative Kathleen Conti (R-Littleton) formally asked her Democratic colleagues Friday for permission to introduce a late session bill to address what she believes to be a problem with the current statute of limitations for hit-and-runs.
And I quote (V)…
A woman has been killed in a road accident just yards from where her twin sister died in a hit-and-run 18 years ago.
Nurse Sarah Sanaghan, 29, was killed when her car collided with a tanker in Crete, Illinois.
The mother-of-one was heading west when the collision took place on Illinois Route 394, according to ABC.
In a grisly turn of fate, the accident took place just 500 yards from where her twin sister Cari died in May 1996. She was just 11-years-old.
And I quote (VI)…
Close to midnight on February 23rd, 2014, the lives of many people changed forever. Javan “Jay” Robinson, the love of Katelyn Kagans’ life and soon to be father of Jordan, their son due to be born any day now, was tragically killed. Jay, after working that evening, came home and decided to walk to the local supermarket for a snack for himself and Katelyn as he often did. While standing on the side of Rt. 46 waiting to cross the road, he was hit by a drunk driver and killed instantly. Needless to say, Katelyn and all of Jays family and friends are devastated. We will all miss Jay and his fantastic personality. As many people have said, Jay had a way of lighting up the room.
And I quote (VII)…
A Manheim motorist will be tried for allegedly striking a woman in Mount Joy, while drunk, then fleeing the scene and hiding from police.
Matthew J. Goodhart, 20, waived a preliminary hearing Friday on charges of hit-and-run, underage drinking and DUI regarding the Nov. 12 incident that injured a Mount Joy woman.
And I quote (VIII)…
Sergeant Thad Pool jumped out of his squad car and rushed toward the victim “She was lying east of the crosswalk, face down in a large puddle of blood coming from her head,” Pool wrote in his report. “She was unconscious and had labored breathing.”
Pool checked her pulse. It was faint. “Can you hear me?” he asked, holding his breath for the response. The woman groaned.
That was Broadway and Johnson Street in 2004. In the years since then, there have been at least 64 pedestrian accidents on Winona streets, according to police records requested by the Winona Post. Three of those accidents were fatal. Victims suffered injuries in 45 of them.
Caught, convicted, court appearance or car-on-car in … Norwich, Ct.; Fairview Heights, Ill.; Upland, Pa.; Denver, Colo.; Lake Worth, Fla.; Mililani, Hawaii; Nashua, NH; East New York, NY; Des Moines, Iowa; College Station, 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.)