Witness

Joel and I drove to Albertsons this morning to get milk for breakfast.  As I was waiting to turn left, I saw a car coming from the opposite direction speed through a red light, turn left, and hit a woman who was crossing in the crosswalk.  A man she was walking with was able to jump out of the way, but she took the hit from the car, and then hit the road really hard.  It was horrible to see this happen, but it got worse.  The car slowed to a crawl and then suddenly took off FAST!  The driver absolutely knew she was leaving the scene of the accident.

I was too far away to see the license plate, but there was a guy in a van who saw the whole thing and was able to take off and chase down the green BMW who had hit the woman.   I made Joel call 911 and promise to stay in the car.  I finished my left turn and pulled over to the side so that I could help the woman until help arrived, and also to let the police know what I had seen.  It was very scary.

The guy in the van returned about 10 minutes later.  He had called the police with a description of the vehicle, and stayed in pursuit.  He said that the woman in the BMW had noticed him following and flashing his lights at her, and after about a half mile, she decided to pull off onto a side street and give up.  The police came and took her into custody.  Hopefully she is rotting in jail right now.

I am not sure what happened to the woman who was hit.  She was coherent, but couldn't move and her breathing was very difficult.  The helicopter arrived to take her away, and I headed home after I talked to the police.

It was just a good reminder to always watch out for pedestrians--and runners!   I still nearly get hit every morning when somebody turns right without stopping at a red light.  I have been very lucky.

It was also a good reminder that I should not be embarrassed when Mark dresses up like a Christmas tree when he heads out on his run every morning.