Officials in Los Angeles are offering up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a hit-and-run suspect who struck and seriously injured a 20-year-old college student last month. According to a KTLA news report, the victim, Stephanie Vasquez, suffered several fractures all over her body after she was struck by an SUV as she was getting into her parked car on Jefferson Boulevard east of San Pedro Street the afternoon of March 22.
Catastrophic Injuries
Doctors later told Vasquez that her leg had to be amputated due to the severity of her injuries. Her leg could not be saved despite doctors’ best efforts, her mother Saila Chiquete said. Vasquez had to choose between staying alive and losing her leg, her mother said.
The driver of the SUV, later identified as Paulino Diego Pedro, did not stop after striking Vasquez was later spotted in surveillance video abandoning his vehicle a few blocks away and fleeing. Pedro is still at large. LAPD released surveillance images of the suspect asking for the public’s help to find him. Anyone with information was urged to call the LAPD Central Traffic Division at 213-833-3713 or email30215@lapd.online.
Our hearts go out to Vasquez for her tremendous loss. She has suffered a catastrophic injury that will change her life forever. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.
Impact of a Hit and Run
It’s not that people don’t know that leaving the scene of a car accident is illegal not to mention extremely immoral. Leaving a person injured at the scene puts them in mortal danger of being struck again by other vehicles. It exposes them to further injury, which could be potentially fatal. The aftermath of a hit and run crash can be traumatic in itself for victims.
They not only suffer the physical pain as a result of injuries, surgeries and so on, but also the emotional pain of knowing that the perpetrator hasn’t been found or may not be brought to justice. Add to this mounting medical expenses, and you have what could be an insurmountable situation for many families.
Injured victims of a hit-and-run crash would be well advised to contact an experienced Los Angeles car accident lawyer who has handled these types of cases and has helped victims seek and obtain maximum compensation for their losses. A knowledgeable lawyer may be able to look at the victims’ own auto insurance policy or other avenues of compensation as well.
Source: https://ktla.com/2019/04/11/25000-reward-offered-to-find-suspect-in-south-l-a-hit-and-run-that-severely-injured-20-year-old-student/