Tragic News For Elderly Hit-And-Run Victim

78-Year-Old Conn. Man Will Never Breathe Again Without Aid, Doctors Say

(CBS/ AP)  Doctors say the victim of a hit-and-run that was caught on videotape and viewed by a national audience will never breathe again without a respirator.

Angel Arce Torres, who is at Hartford Hospital, also will never return home, a family member said.

Torres was paralyzed from the neck down in the May 30 incident. He was struck by one of two cars that crossed the center line.

Angel Arce, the son of 78-year-old Torres, said his father's lung collapsed and he developed pneumonia.

Though Torres has remained conscious and does not have brain damage, Arce told the Hartford Courant his father will require around-the-clock care for the rest of his life.

Arce said he refuses to watch the video depicting his father's accident and is only interested in seeing the driver brought to justice.

"We lost my father," Arce told the newspaper. "We might as well say they killed my father. Someone has to know something. Somebody has got to say something. This was a human being, not a dog, man. And even if it was a dog, you don't leave a dog laying in the street."

"The people who did this to my father: Come forward. Don't be a coward. Come forward. Face the consequences. Turn yourself in," he told the newspaper.

The chilling scene touched off a round of soul-searching in Hartford, with the capital city's biggest newspaper blaring "SO INHUMANE" on the front page and the police chief lamenting: "We no longer have a moral compass."

Hartford officials say they received four cell phone calls within a minute of the incident. Police Chief Daryl Roberts initially said the city had lost its moral compass, noting that none of the witnesses appeared to come to Torres' aid.

"We have no regard for each other," Roberts said last week.

[southboston19]

lol wow you really need a doctor to tell you what is happening. a pack of cowards did nothing when a fellow human being was hit. one of the people in one of those cars should have gotten on his or her cell phone and followed those vehicles. everyone else should have been on their phones immediately and right over to him to make sure he's ok. thats the problem you want to understand everything and try to figure out why these people might have just stood there. its because people are careless and heartless nowadsays. we live in the towns we grew up in now and we no longer no our neighbor. nobody cares about eachother anymore. this is just a magnifying glass over a larger problem that goes on everyday in this Godforsaken country. i fought for this country and now it makes me sick that i was so young and naive to put my life on the line for this country. people in my family have lost their lives fighting for this country and for what? they would be rolling in their graves if they saw what this place has become. my aunt was mugged by two black kids in broad daylight on her way to work. they punched her in the face and tried to grab her back out of her hand. she threw her coffee in their faces and they threw her on the ground and ran off without her bag. people just walked around her after watching all of this go down. nobody said a word she got herself to her feet and came home crying. she's a 55 yr old woman and she said what hurt the most was people just walking by going about their business like nothing happened. like she wasn't even there. talking on their phones and not even offering her a helping hand. DISGRACE IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY. anyone that doesn't agree needs a beating just like the people in that video who stood by and watched instead of getting involved because they were too self absorbed and worrying to much about themself. the fact that people even try to give an opinion on behalf of the bystanders is just disgusting. that guy standing up against the fence giving his opinion needs a slap.

[bkwrmnrsdeb]

I''ve seen two dogs hit by cars in my lifetime and both of the drivers stopped at the time to help the animal. This was a human being. He was independent and has a life. He has people who love him and enjoyed having him around, obviously and that was taken from him because two people were in a big hurry or having a terrible case of road rage. Anyone know two people with cars like the ones in the video? Check out the cars and if you see something suspicious tell the authorities.

[bkwrmnrsdeb]

Can''t someone help one poor man lying in the street? What do they mean they don''t want to get involved? We are all connected and what happens to one could happen to any of us. To the perpetrator of this crime I say, "Show some remorse and turn yourself in to authorities." I tell my grandkids there are no monsters but this video seems to prove that monsters do exist.

[atlanta1962]

well maybe bush can heal the man since he is GOD almighty and has replace JESUS most of the U S give him more glory anyway

[atlanta1962]

CBS I said in my statement *** issues I am 46 miliary veteran not a 15 year old in high school

[atlanta1962]

well well where are all the GOD caring people at now? will not GOD judge this action of people or is it just on certain *** issues?

[xxunknown]

This man was dead when he hit the pavement. Our medical community who sees death as the enemy stepped over the line and found a way to keep him breathing. Under these circumstances, breathing is not the same as having a life.


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Posted by barbaraf4 at 09:10 AM : Jun 12, 2008

It said he is not brain dead. Just cant breathe on his own.

[aerodog]

Can''t the police enhance the license plate to where they can read it? With all the state of the art technology today, there''s got to be a way to recognize the cowardly s.o.b. that did this to this poor man.

[sandy19731]

I hope he has good health insurance otherwise there goes any inheritance he had hoped to pass on. Unless of course, they find the driver and she or he has good car insurance.

[delouwa]

It''s so common for people to "blame the victim" because they want to believe nothing like this could ever happen to themselves (they''re too smart, they wouldn''t put themselves in that situation, etc.). Well, the drivers of the car are in the wrong here. They were driving recklessly, not paying attention, and then when their actions resulted in this accident, they ran like the cowards they really are. This man''s life, for all intents and purposes, is over. His family will carry the burden of caring for him. He will carry the burden of severe disability. These people will NOT come forward because they know they''ll be strung up, literally and figuratively. They''ll have to be found using other methods. But... what really distresses me is my2centss wanting to blame the victim. He was an elderly PEDESTRIAN. Yes, he was jaywalking but as drivers, we are supposed to be driving carefully and be on the lookout for just such a situation. Have some compassion...

[barbaraf4]

"78-Year-Old Conn. Man Will Never Breathe Again Without Aid, Doctors Say"
~~~~~~~~~~
This man was dead when he hit the pavement. Our medical community who sees death as the enemy stepped over the line and found a way to keep him breathing. Under these circumstances, breathing is not the same as having a life.

[amberfoxfour]

I truly hope they take the one responsible for this and hang him from a tall tree!

JT
http://www.Ultimate-Anonymity.com

[sgtdemanda]

A jaywalking man was hit by a car that was on the wrong side of the road. If these people would all have been obeying the law, this might have been avoided.

I can''t believe you. You''re one of those folks who would walk by this man. I hope someday you feel the pain and anguish of this man and his family and someone says the same kind of thing to you. People like you make me ashamed to be the same RACE as you.

[tootall10142]

a righteos shall be made upright.the candle of the wicked shall be put out!

[barbaraf4]

If I''m ever facing this prospect, please God, someone just pull the plug.

[gmond]

A jaywalking man was hit by a car that was on the wrong side of the road. If these people would all have been obeying the law, this might have been avoided.

Posted by my2centss at 09:28 PM : Jun 11, 2008

Your 2 cents? Senseless.

[patriot12436]

It would depend on the quality of the camera and the abngle as to whether they could Zoom in on the license plate. If they could i think they would have found the car by now. Also i am sure they are checking body shops for cars with repair work.

[patriot12436]

From where the man was struck i think he did look both ways, the car was in the wrong lane when it struck him. Obciously the driver has no compassion for anyone so will not turn theirselves in.

[rhs648]

saw the video and was in total disbelief, cars driving around the victim, which none bothered to stop, I was stunned.

We need to come out of this state of denial, there are some people in this world, in America, that have absolutely no empathy for individuals other than themselves.

No, considering his alleged injuries he shouldn''''t have been moved for fear of causing irreparable harm, however, cars could have stopped to form a road block until help came, as onlookers could have formed a shield to prevent further damage to this old man.

Just to leave him alone and possibly dead in the streets is unthinkable and amoral.

Years ago I witnessed a young man being savagely beaten, as onlookers stood and watched, well I call 911 until they got sick of hearing my voice, and waited until someone came.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of misanthropic folks in this world, which we have witnessed daily the bad side of human behavior.

Posted by kailumego1

Your post staes it all. There is no excuse for the lack of emphathy and concern by so many people for an injured person.

[my2centss]

A jaywalking man was hit by a car that was on the wrong side of the road. If these people would all have been obeying the law, this might have been avoided.