"He didn't deserve this": Family grieves, search continues for suspect in Modesto deadly hit-and-run
MODESTO -- A busy intersection one block away from Wilson Elementary School was the scene of a deadly hit-and-run Wednesday morning around 7 a.m.
It happened at Yosemite Boulevard and Santa Ana Avenue. Police say the driver responsible still has not come forward and investigators have not yet released a description of the vehicle.
The man killed was 68-year-old Ronald "Ronnie" Swindle. Family members told CBS13 the day following his death that they want him to be remembered as funny, kind and someone who marched to the beat of his own drum.
"He was a good man, he had a big heart," said his oldest daughter, Wendy Swindle. "He didn't have much, but he would give you anything he had. He didn't deserve this."
Swindle was crossing the street like he did every day when he died, part of his daily routine. He lived less than a block away.
"He crossed in this crosswalk several times a day. For years, decades," said Wendy.
She and other family members gathered Thursday night steps away from where he was killed to light candles and remember Ronnie. They are comforted that even though the person who hit him ran, a Good Samaritan tried their best to save his life, even trying to follow the vehicle until it became unsafe.
"She came back, she was the one who called 911. She told me she was praying for my dad as he laid there," Wendy said through tears. "This world has gotten so dark. And there's people like that that still shows a little light. It gives me hope."
It comes as research shows hit-and-run deaths are on the rise. Dr. Julia Griswold, a traffic safety researcher at University of California at Berkeley, authored a study on why people flee the scene. She found it's most often people who are driving under the influence or without a license.
"That makes sense because that is someone who is weighing the consequences of being caught for the hit-and-run which is not 100% chance, versus if they stay at the scene a 100% chance of facing the consequences," said Griswold.
The latest data from 2020 as reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows nearly 70% of hit-and-run deaths were pedestrians or cyclists.
One in four pedestrian deaths in 2020 were hit-and-runs.
"I think there's more systemic issues that need to be addressed for those things to improve," said Griswold.
She says that could look like slower speed limits in high-traffic areas, more surveillance cameras and incentivizing staying on the scene so families like the Swindles, at the very least, have answers.
Ronald Swindle's family has set up a Gofundme to help cover funeral costs.
The Modesto Police investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information or surveillance video is urged to contact the department.