Hit-and-run victims and their families are struggling to find those responsible for hit-and-run accidents. A recent case in Dallas is just one example of how hard it can be to find justice after a driver has fled the scene. Marteen Reed, her husband Gregory White and her coworker Omega Jones were involved in a hit-and-run accident along Highway 67 at the Cockrell Hill Road exit ramp last Thursday night.
The group pulled over to deal with a problem tire. Jones and Reed were standing on the highway shoulder while White called a cousin for car help. A vehicle that was also exiting swerved left and struck the two women. Some reports indicate Jones was hit first, and she was pushed into Reed. The negligent driver kept going down the embankment after hitting the women and then returned to the main lanes of the highway, speeding away as if nothing had happened.
Reed described the experience to WFAA, “I just saw the lights coming our way… The first thing that came to my mind was, ‘RUN!’ Next thing I know, I was on my back looking up in the sky and I just heard my husband screaming and hollering.” Her husband was screaming because he thought he had lost her.
Reed’s injuries were relatively minor, but her friend Omega Jones was not as lucky. Taken to Methodist Hospital in North Oak Cliff, Jones has had surgery on her femur and face. Despite her painful injuries, Jones told reporters that she is blessed to still be alive.
Investigation in Progress
The Duncanville police are working on the case. Partial video of the incident was recorded by an officer’s dashboard camera. You can watch the footage on the Dallas Crimeblog, WFAA and other news sites. Hopefully, the police will gather the information that they need from the video and witnesses to make an arrest.
White commented to the media, “I’m sad, angry… I just won’t get any peace of mind until this person is caught.” White is not the only family member of a hit-and-run victim to feel this way. There has been a barrage of hit-and-run incidents where the police have been unable to gather enough evidence to make an arrest or even identify a suspect.
Roger Bryant – Another Hit-and-Run Victim Killed in April
Roger Bryant, Dallas Crimeblog (Family Photo)
One family, the Bryants of Dallas, have recently increased the award for information leading to Roger Bryant’s hit-and-run death on April 3. Bryant was killed after leaving Methodist Dallas Medical Center where he had been treated overnight for a stomach ache. The 54-year-old man had a series of medical problems including several physical ailments and schizophrenia.
He left the Hospital and went to a nearby 7-Eleven at Zang and Colorado where a camera shows that he bought a Big Gulp. After that he went towards the 100 block of East Colorado. He was found lying seriously injured in the left-hand turn lane of the street.
Storms Hurt the Investigation
April 3 was the very same day that the dangerous cluster of tornadoes came ripping through North Texas. The storms took away media coverage that might have otherwise gone towards finding Bryant’s killer. The family has posted a $10,000 reward for any information surrounding the accident, but so far no new information has come to light.
Bryant was the primary care giver for his elderly father who suffers from Alzheimer’s and who has since had to be moved to an assisted living facility. Bryant’s death and the lack of information surrounding the accident have changed his family forever. If you know anything that could contribute to the investigation please call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 214-373-TIPS or formally contact the Dallas Police at 214-670-5818.
Victims and their families deserve answers. If you’ve ever left the scene of an accident, please do the right thing and come forward.
