UPDATE: Teen Girl Severely Hurt in 2011 San Jose Hit-and-Run Crash Dies Of Her Injuries
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- A teenage girl who was hit by a car in San Jose in 2011 and severely injured died this week from complications of the injury, her family said Friday.
The collision happened on January 8th, 2011, at about 1:10 a.m. in the intersection of Camden and Bascom Avenues. San Jose police said a grey or silver early 2000s Japanese-make sedan was heading east on Camden when it hit the Campbell teen, who was walking with her boyfriend in a marked crosswalk when she was struck.
The vehicle fled after the collision and the girl was taken to a local hospital with major injuries.
The girl's mother, Cari Shaw, identified her to KPIX 5 as Shea Shaw. She suffered a traumatic brain injury. On Tuesday, more than 11 years after the incident, she died from complications of the injury while in hospice care.
"I got to live with her for 11 years after a heavy, heavy accident," her mother said. "I was lucky to have loved her this long. My focus was to be in Shea's life, the present. Not to run after somebody who hit her that the cops couldn't get."
Shaw says she spent the last 11 years trying to make sure Shea experienced as much of life as possible, despite her condition.
"I took her everywhere. I just wanted her to see, to hear, and to feel everything that was of life," she said. "She was my girl. She was my friend. I lost my friend. Not only was she my daughter, but I lost my friend."
Police said the hit-and-run investigation would be re-opened in an effort to generate leads. It was the 26th fatal collision, and the 28th traffic death of 2022 as well as the 16th pedestrian fatality.
"This now has, because of the death, has extended itself to a vehicular manslaughter charge in addition to the hit-and-run. So, that expands the powers of the investigation and that's why we're reopening the case," said SJPD Officer Steve Aponte. "Although it was 11 years ago, we're hoping that somebody may remember. And, somebody knows what this individual did. Hopefully they do the right thing, report them and come forward."
Anyone with information on the hit-and-run was urged to contact Detective Bowen #4461 of the San José Police Department's Traffic Investigations Unit at 408-277-4654 or at 4461@sanjoseca.gov.
