Sandwich family pleads for answers after dog killed by hit and run driver
SANDWICH - Every day -- when 9-year-old Brooke and 7-year-old Ella come home from school -- it's the same drill. "Walk the dogs," says a tearful Ella.
And Tuesday was no different, as they grabbed "Ricky" and "Lucy" for a stroll.
Until the foursome got to the intersection of Deer Hollow and Dana Roads in the Forestdale section of Sandwich -- and a straying "Ricky" was run over and crushed.
The family acknowledges that "Ricky" had broken his leash and run into the street when he was hit. That was simply a tragic accident. But what happened next really makes them mad.
"Two little girls on the side of the road screaming 'Stop! Stop! Stop!'" says their great aunt Nancy Amaral. "And he didn't."
That's right. The driver looked around briefly and then took off -- leaving Brooke and Ella sobbing by the roadside -- clinging to their surviving dog "Lucy."
"Is he intoxicated, under the influence of marijuana or texting on his cell phone?" wondered their great uncle Peter Amaral. "Who knows."
Recent home video of "Ricky" shows a playful, 4-year-old Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix.
The girls say the only occupant of the pickup that killed him was the male driver.
"I want to see the guy own up to it," says Peter.
"People understand accidents," says his wife. "Driving away wasn't an accident."
As the Amarals and their nieces struggle with this, police are asking for neighbors to check any home surveillance video they might have from between 4:30 and 4:45 Tuesday afternoon -- showing a black pickup truck with orange or yellow marker lights on top.
"I'm pretty sure it's illegal for him to kill a dog and drive away from the accident," Peter says. "And he should be cited for that."
The spot where this happened is off the beaten path -- suggesting the driver either lives, was working in, or was visiting someone in this neighborhood.
But no matter what happens, the horrible images will be hard for two little girls to forget.
"He just kept going," says Ella.