Search Continues For Hit-And-Run Driver Who Cost Victim Her Leg
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Surveillance video shows the aftermath of a hit-and-run accident near downtown Los Angeles.
The victim of the hit is 20-year-old Stephanie Vasquez.
The crash changed her life. The suspect is still at large.
"I was walking towards my car and all I remember was putting in my key and trying to get into my car and that's when I got hit," Vasquez told CBS2 Wednesday night.
Authorities say Vasquez was hit by the driver of a white SUV. The suspect abandoned the vehicle just two blocks away and then took off running.
"I woke up and I was laying on the floor. I woke up and I saw I was under a car and I just felt numbness all on my right side and that's all I remember," Vasquez says.
She was in-and-out of consciousness -- witnesses nearby were able to call 911.
Vasquez was taken to the hospital where she was put into an induced coma. When she woke up, she discovered her life was forever changed.
"I still do have my left leg," says Vasquez, "both my hands and my arms. It's just that on my right side, I did have a leg injury and, sadly, I had to [go in and have] amputation."
The accident happened three weeks ago and Vasquez remains in the hospital recovering. "It was hard at first knowing I had a leg and now I don't," she says.
As for the suspect, police have identified him as Paulino Diego Pedro. 30. Authorities say he has ties to LA and Riverside counties.
Vasquez hopes by sharing her story, Pedro does the right thing and turns himself in. She told Holmstrom she has these words for him.
"I do know that you have a daughter and if this happened to your daughter wouldn't you want the person to step up and take responsibility for your actions?" Vasquez says.
There is a $25,000 reward for information that leads to Pedro's arrest. If you know anything about his whereabouts, you're asked to call the LAPD.
Editor's Note: A GoFundMe account has been set up for Stephanie Vasquez. For more information click here.
