Stoneham grandmother struggling with injuries after hit and run, police searching for driver
STONEHAM - A Stoneham grandmother injured in a hit and run crash two months ago in a Pleasant Street crosswalk is still struggling with debilitating injuries while Stoneham police continue to search for the driver who left the scene.
"This arm is still pretty painful, and this wrist," said Louise Ward, who suffered numerous injuries throughout her body. "I do kind of remember laying on the ground and having firemen or whatever around me, and they were telling me they'd take me to the hospital."
Victim pushed granddaughter out of the way
But that's all she remembers, walking with her eight-year-old granddaughter Riley and dog Nala. It was Louise Ward who, in a split second, saw the car approaching fast and pushed her granddaughter out of the way taking the severe impact herself, the driver taking off.
"They have no conscience," Ward said. "Then I think about it, and they're out there driving now. Do they just get in their car like nothing ever happened?"
What happened to Louise Ward, a 69-year-old retired nurse, has changed her life. She spent weeks in the hospital and rehab with multiple fractures including her shoulder, pelvis, vertebrae in her back, a brain bleed and liver laceration, as the car tossed her 15 to 20 feet.
Police still searching for driver
Police have now zeroed in on a cement gray 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee based on witness descriptions. It has a distinctive side mirror blinker that can be seen in surveillance video.
Stoneham Sgt. Detective Chris Dalis believes the driver had to know. "One of the witnesses actually saw the vehicle taking off, fleeing the area and they said it was traveling at a very high rate of speed. It accelerated away from the scene, so that definitely leads us to believe they knew they hit something," said Dalis.
Tips have not yet turned up the car that police say likely sustained a lot of damage. "Just come forward, get it off your shoulders, because we're not going to stop, we're going to keep investigating it," said Dalis.
"I could have died"
Tied now to a walker and dose of daily pain and medications, Louise Ward has the same message and is looking for accountability. "Do they realize the seriousness of what they caused, I could have died," said Ward.
Stoneham police say anyone with information can contact the department at 781-438-1215 x3133.