'He didn't care': Victim of Chicago hit and run talks to CBS 2
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A story you'll see Only on 2.
A hit and run left a man for dead in an intersection. A father of four is alive, telling his story of recovery from a hospital bed. He's speaking to CBS 2's Steven Graves.
Jeramine Cruz barely survived this crash, and along with the physical injuries. He's dealing with another pain that so many people in his situation also feel.
Muscles ripped from bone. A broken pelvis and crushed ribs. Jeramine Cruz is lucky to be up and talking.
"I almost didn't make it. That's what they were telling me. I was broken in so many places."
Almost a week ago, the afternoon of March 13th around 4:00 Cruz was on his motorcycle. He remembers pulling up to the intersection of 71st and Hoyne in West Englewood. Stopping at a stop sign on Hoyne first, when a car across from him did the same.
"I had the go, but he went anyway. It was like he didn't care," Cruz said.
What Chicago Police describe as a white vehicle hit Cruz when it made a left turn. A Good Samaritan likely saved his life.
"She was the one. She was telling me 'The car is leaving,'" remembered Cruz.
The injuries leaving the husband and father of four to wonder when he will walk again. Or be able to play with his one-year-old daughter.
"To have to think about going home and not be able to do that, that's going to mess me up," Cruz said.
Another frustration is what a Chicago Police detective told him; that the probability of solving hit and runs like his are slim to none.
"It crushes my heart," Cruz said.
CBS 2 spoke to retired Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy about challenges in these cases. He said even with cameras that catch a plate, it can be hard to pin point who was behind the wheel. That's where witnesses are critical to help police catch a suspect.
"Or they knew they were involved in an accident and the guilt is just eating away at them. They step forward," Roy said.
That's exactly what his family is now hoping for.
"He works 14 hours shifts sometimes. He comes home and he still plays with his kids. He's an amazing father. I just want the person caught," said Cruz's wife Shandelle Olofson.
The family said Chicago police have checked doorbell cameras for evidence, but so far, no luck. Officers said there are no updates in the investigation, but there is an alert to the public for anyone with information to come forward.