Broward SAO: Suspected Hit-&-Run Driver Skips Bail, On The Run Again
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BROWARD (CBSMiami) – On Christmas Eve two years ago, Robert Games was heading home from a gathering when a hit and run driver slammed into him and left him for dead.
Games survived but he's a paraplegic whose life has been turned upside down ever since.
Games's life has been full of challenges and now he faces a new one – the knowledge that the driver accused of hitting him, Thomas Pathammavong, jumped bail and is again on the run.
The Broward State Attorney's Office confirmed to CBS4 News on Thursday that Pathammavong failed to show up for a court hearing a few months ago and now there's a warrant out for his arrest.
"This is the type of person who should be in jail right now," Games said.
Investigators believe Pathammavong was driving about 50 miles an hour when he hit Games and kept on going.
Pathammavong is also accused of causing another hit and run crash just minutes earlier and later lying about his car being stolen to avoid being blamed.
"If he was doing 50 when he hit me, he saw me and knew I was on the bike and he didn't care and he must have known he could've killed me and he didn't care," Games told CBS4's Carey Codd.
Games, a former workout fiend and dirt bike racer remains unfailingly positive. But he is angry that Pathammavong got a bond of only $58,000 and after failing to show up for a recent court date is now on the run again.
"Common sense to me, if I was a judge is, well he almost killed someone and ran, didn't care so he's probably gonna run again," Games said. "So I wouldn't give him any bail but if you're give him bail, make it a lot harder to obtain."
Games' life is forever changed. He says the hardest part of his day is his personal hygiene routine each morning and it's at those moments that his anger swells for the man accused of leaving him in this situation.
"It just goes through my mind how this guy's out there wandering around doing whatever he wants, committing crimes or just enjoying life, while I'm sitting here, it's not a pleasant experience my mornings, what I have to go through," he explained.
Games continues to work part-time at the pest control company he's worked at for years and he's independent enough to get around in his modified truck that has equipment to allow him to drive. But he's without health insurance and says he only received a paltry settlement from an insurance company.
He's frustrated that Pathammavong is free again but says in a strange way this latest development has given him a spark to pursue justice in his case.
"It gave me motivation to go out and get involved and it gave me sort of a means to do it," Games said. "So it kind of lifted me up at the same time as bringing me down.
If you know where Thomas Pathammavong is, contact Broward County Crime Stoppers at (954) 493-TIPS.
