The tragic story of Zach Jackson’s hit-and-run and alleged cover-up

After my appearance on Radio Times earlier this month, I got an email from Dana Johnson whose son Zachary Jackson suffered brain-stem and frontal-lobe injuries in a Shreveport, La. hit-and-run on April 17, 2009 (He was run off the road in a no-contact incident).

She contends that the police there have dropped the ball by not fully investigating the case and asked my advice. I told her to reach out to the local media. She said she has to no avail. Since I’m more than 1,300 miles away, the best I can do reportage wise is posting her words.

I would hope it inspires a reporter in Zach’s area — as it should have already — to make some calls. Lives have been decimated, and if Dana’s take on things holds true, this case is a travesty of justice, moral codes and journalistic responsibility:

Zach has not recovered. He has brain stem and frontal lobe injury and his accident was 4-17-09. It’s sad he understands everything going on around him and he can’t respond with words. He can however raise his right leg if in his wheelchair, raise his eyebrows, wiggle his right foot or toes while in the bed.

He smiles, laughs and cries. He watches TV. I can talk to him about the Bible and he will smile.

Zach and his mom, prior to accident

We know who caused Zach’s no contact hit-and-run. He passed Zach at a high speed and swerved at him. Zach’s front-seat passenger remembers and the police brought the boy who ran Zach off the road and said he did not do it and that was it. The police dropped it and there is so much more to this story. It would blow your mind!

I really want to expose the dirty cops here and why wasn’t this wreck investigated more. After all, the hit-and-run team was called to the scene, but the officer who arrived on the scene first was never questioned. Zach’s friends have all abandoned him and have moved on.

[The media] will not tell our entire story. Dirty cops shut it down for a doctor (daddy of the young man who was drinking and driving and ran my son off the road). He swerved at my son and my son had to run off the road to avoid being hit. The three girls in other vehicle with other boy, know the truth and gave recorded statements to police and they were on our side and now they have changed and are against us.

Death threats were made! No one will talk about it. The paper will not do a story about the dirtiness of the police department, nor will the TV stations.

This kid has a DWI charge right now and a drug charge. He has been picked up when he was younger for cruelty to animals. He has bragged that he gets away with everything and his daddy’s money buys him out of trouble and he has police in his back pocket.

The initial officer on the scene was never questioned. He is the one that called the hit-and-run team. I was told they just don’t call the hit-and-run team for no reason. What raised a red flag for him to think the hit and run team should be called?

The doctor daddy even called one of the young ladies in his sons truck he was driving (company truck) and told her dad to get his daughter to shut up because if it went to court, he would make him look like a fool.

The boy made death threats (why if he is not guilty) to all of us at first (one time). Then, all the death threats were made to my son’s front-seat passenger and then to the whole family. They eventually had a peace bond (restraining order) put on him for 6 months.

We had witnesses that took the stand for that. The boy also told my son in front of two witnesses before they left the river, “Man you are so spoiled, you have one of the nicest vehicles, I am so jealous of you, I hope you wreck that tonight.” Of course he denied saying it, but there were witnesses. The three girls were told, by him in the very beginning, to not go to the hospital to visit my son, and they wanted to go. But, he told them that we hated them and did not want them there (never said those things).

He also told them when they asked about my son, he would say, he is OK and is going to be just fine. All lies! He was keeping them away from us so we would not find out the truth. Now, one of them tells me recently that we are all nuts. Funny how she is at Ole Miss and can not afford going there and join a sorority. Plus, she wants to be a sports reporter for ESPN.

The other two are twins, and one is a mom now. The one who had the baby started crying during her first deposition and it was like it was planned. I went to the bathroom and found the boy’s lawyer (the one who ran my son off the road) along with the court reporter, the twins, the mom and she was giving the mom advice. I told my lawyer and he said its ok, she can’t change what is on her recorded statement.

Well, the mom came back and called off the deposition, said her daughter was to upset to continue. They said they were going through a family crisis, come to find out they had found out she was pregnant, Not much of a crisis compared to what I am going through or what Zach is going through. Then, we wait 9 to 10 months for her next deposition.

I had contacted her dad, who did not know that this ordeal was so big, he told me he was led to believe it was a small accident. Plus, he told me his daughter was calling off the deposition herself but did not say why. We show up for deposition and she had called and said she could not find a baby sitter, it was planned in advance. i know this due to dad told me she was postponing the deposition. How can a 18 yr old call and cancel her own deposition? I was told by a city marshall she can only pull that stunt once; she should be arrested if she tries it again. Even the other lawyer has committed perjury herself by saying she has not spoken with them ever before when i know that it is a lie [since] I caught her in the bathroom giving them advise.

I am so disgusted. This boy runs free, and my son suffers in his own world. How sad is this picture?

Plus our paper and news stations here will not report on it due to the legal issues. They will only report on things like we want to open a brain and spinal cord rehab and that we are advocating for that. They will not do a story on the fact that Zach’s accident was a no-contact hit-and-run.

Plain and simple: This wreck happened. Cause: drunk driver. Witnesses: YES, 5 of them. Only one will help our case, the front seat passenger of Zach’s.

Dirty cops, dirty dad, money talks.

Shreveport Teen Battles Brain Injury [KTBS]

Mom promotes rehabilitation center [Shreveport Times]