News footage of the bus stop Sherry Hinojosa was walking to when she was hit by a drunk driver (KPHO).
An Arizona woman died months after she was injured in a hit-and-run, and her friend wants to see justice.
Sherry Hinojosa, 72, died earlier this month after suffering injuries in a hit-and-run on April 19. According to a police report obtained by local CBS affiliate KPHO, Hinojosa was crossing a street in Phoenix, Arizona, around 7:15 p.m. while walking to a bus stop near her senior living community. She was allegedly struck by a 24-year-old driver who admitted to police that he saw a woman crossing the street, but was unable to avoid hitting her.
According to police, the driver did not have a license and said he drank “three or four beers” before getting behind the wheel.
Police said the driver told them that “he knew that he hit a person in the roadway” but did not stop because he was “so scared.” According to the police report, officers described the driver as being “abnormally calm,” and they said they could smell alcohol on his breath.
According to reporting by KPHO, the man continued driving for blocks until he was stopped at an intersection by witnesses.
The driver was processed at the Maryvale, Arizona, precinct of the Phoenix Police Department for a charge of DUI. He was charged with two DUI offenses, leaving the scene of an accident, and operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license. He was released from custody the same day.
In an interview with KPHO, Hinojosa’s friend, Joyce Pickens, told the station that Hinojosa suffered 27 broken bones and a head injury. She expressed her frustration over why the driver did not stop after he allegedly knew he hit someone, saying, “He left and just was going to just leave her there laying in the street to die. And he just took off for no reason.”
Pickens was even more upset that he was not in jail. Pickens said, “Why isn’t he behind bars? Why isn’t he having to be accountable for what he’s done to my friend? She’s dead!”
Phoenix police have not publicly released the name of the alleged driver.
