5-year-old fighting for her life following hit-and-run
AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - Police are searching for a hit and run driver who was involved in a crash this morning that critically injured a 5-year-old girl. Witnesses said the driver of a truck and a passenger jumped out and ran after the collision in southeast Austin.
It happened just before 8am Thursday morning at the Palo Blanco and Teri road intersection.
“I think it's tragic that an innocent like that would be involved in a collision," Said Robert Duarte. Duarte woke up Thursday morning to a car crash right in front of his home. Debris from the crash litters the road and his front yard. “I was walking out just to feed the cat,” said Duarte
A viewer captured the moments after the crash, it shows the truck involved smoking. Police say the people inside made a run for it. “The sad thing is that all the other person had to do on the other side was stick around and help instead they ran,” said Sr. patrol officer Demitri Hobbs with APD.
According to APD the car with the 5-year-old inside was traveling down Palo Blanco trying to turn on Teri road, shortly after they collided with that black truck heading east on Teri. “She has multiple lacerations and broken bones she's in a bad shape right now,” said Officer Hobbs.
People in the area stopped to help the child. “Started preforming CPR on the 5-year-old in the back seat and then she was rushed to the hospital in critical condition,” said Hobbs.
The people in the car with the child were also taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
While it's not known why the people in the truck ran, Hobbs said in his experience as an officer it's never worth it to flee a scene. “Sometimes no insurance sometimes no driver’s license and like I said that's a ticket you'll get a citation for it for causing the accident or whatever and you'll go on but you run, you didn't try to help out, you didn't call for help, you just ran, that's not the thing to do,” said Hobbs.
Duarte said this isn't the first time he's seen a serious crash outside his home.
“Speed limit is 35 but I’ve seen people go down this road looks like their doing 90miles an hour so I don't know if people are in a hurry but a total disregard for the speed limit,” said Duarte.
Duarte hopes something is done soon to make the area safer as he doesn't want to have to see another child get hurt. Officer Hobbs said the people in the truck probably would have gotten a ticket and a minor fine, they are now looking at charging them with failure to stop and render aid and possibly more as the investigation continues.
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