Hit & Run Victim Lucky To Be Alive After Being Found In Snow Bank

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. (CBS4) - Police have made an arrest in a hit-and-run case after a snow plow driver found the victim lying in a Breckenridge street over the weekend.

On Friday night Laura Hamilton's friend and a plow driver showed up along Airport Road at the same time and found a body lying in the snow bank. It was Hamilton, who was alive after getting hit by a vehicle.

Police have been working around the clock and on Tuesday they arrested a driver identified as Hallie Schmitt, 24, from Summit County. Police said it was lucky because the car they found with matching front-end damage was actually first spotted in a detective's rear view mirror.

According to police, Schmitt being from the Breckenridge area helped solve the case because if it was a tourist they could have been long gone.

"I remember nothing from Friday night until like mid-Saturday," Hamilton said. "The only part I do remember is looking down and seeing the gash on my leg … and that it looked like a shark bite."

Along with a broken leg, a few broken vertebrae, and even more stitches on her chin, Hamilton says she's lucky to be alive.

"My headaches are pretty bad from hitting my head," she said. "Complete luck; I mean luck has played a huge factor in this whole case."

Detectives called Hamilton Tuesday morning to tell her they'd made an arrest.

"The detective used a lot of the different cameras that were around, a lot of cameras from our transit to tighten up the timeline of when the accident occurred," Breckenridge Police Chief Shannon Haynes said.

The detective knew what kind of car to look for, but the final tip came from his rearview mirror.

"The detective said he looked up and saw the car was missing pieces that he actually had in his front seat, so he kind of linked them together," Hamilton said.

"The damage is consistent with the type of injuries and the accident that happened," Haynes said.

"She said she wasn't intoxicated. I can't be the one to judge that," Hamilton said. "As long as I know someone is being held at fault for it is a lot off my shoulders."

Schmitt is facing a felony for vehicular assault and another felony for leaving the scene where there has been serious bodily injury. She's scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.