'We need to find this person,' hit-and-run driver seriously injures preschool teacher
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A mother's grief and anger has led her to search for the person who hit her daughter and drove away.
Preschool teacher Andrea Svatos, 26, was struck around 1:30 a.m. on April 3.
Svatos had attended a charity event that night with colleagues and friends. They then went to the Ivy Tavern on Lemmon Avenue and were crossing the street in the crosswalk when she was hit.
"A car was speeding, maybe going about 50 miles an hour down the street," said Michele Svatos, her mother. "They were trying to get out of the way."
But the driver never slowed down.
"They hit her, swerved, and then speed up and left the scene," said Svatos.
Police said Andrea was carried around 100 feet on the hood before she fell to the ground. Nine days later, she remains at Parkland Hospital with extensive injuries, including a lacerated liver, two broken arms, two broken legs, and multiple facial lacerations.
"So far she's had four surgeries," her mother said. "She has a lot more surgeries ahead of her."
Now Michele Svatos is balancing caretaking with investigating, to try to catch the hit-and-run driver. Family and friends have gone door-to-door of nearby businesses to ask for surveillance videos or clues.
"She has lost her independence due to this reckless driver," Svatos said.
Dallas police are talking to witnesses and trying to decipher a license plate. But solving hit-and-runs can be challenging: a CBS 11 I-Team investigation found that more than 70% of deadly hit-and-runs remain unsolved.
Still, Andrea's mother is undeterred.
"We really need to find this person, and we need to get them off the street, because they could hit somebody else easily."
Police are working on getting a description of the suspect vehicle, but they said it will have damage on the front and possibly the hood. Her friends have started a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses and have already raised $53,000.
If you have any information on the case, please contact Dallas Police Detective Eric Knight at Eric.Knight@DallasCityHall.com or 214-671-0020.
