Driver of hit and run still on the run

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - Wednesday started as a normal day for Sandra Wilson. But it all changed as she drove into work at a Crestview hospital.

Wilson said a woman driving a purple Ford Ranger allegedly hit her. The hit forced Wilson’s Kia Rio off the road and slammed her vehicle into a tree. Wilson suffered numerous injuries and luckily escaped with her life. The driver of the other vehicle allegedly fled the scene.

“The last few days have been very emotional,” said Wilson’s daughter, Annette Pate.

“The car side-swiped me all down the driver’s side, and it sent me into a spin, and I tried to drive parallel to the highway, but I couldn’t, and I hit a tree,” Wilson said.

According to doctors, if Wilson had not had her seat belt on, she wouldn’t have survived. She was left with broken knee caps on both legs, a broken arm, a collapsed lung and a hairline fracture to her sternum.

That doesn’t compare to the fear she had as her life hung in the balance.

“It was scary, that was for sure, because my car pretty became an accordion, it just kind of all came towards me,” Wilson said.

Witnesses describe the driver of the other vehicle as a woman in her mid-20s with brown hair, in a purple, single cab Ford Ranger with Florida tags.

“The fact that she didn’t stop to see if I was alive is kind of bothersome, because when the EMS got there and saw my car they didn’t expect to see a live person inside of it,” Wilson said.

“I look at her, and know that there’s a person out here locally that caused this and hasn’t had any consequences for it at all, and she’s with all the consequences,” Pate said.

Following the accident, Wilson’s family was pro-active, utilizing tools like Facebook and Craigslist to find the alleged hit and run suspect. In fact, they posted a $500 reward to anyone who could supply information that would lead to an arrest.

“It’s not out of a vengeful way, but just a way to say, 'Hey, face the consequences of what’s happened here, 'and also to see if there’s an insurance policy or anything that can help with the financials because as of now the critical state that my aunt is in, she’ll be down for three and a half months,” said Wilson’s nephew, Michael Cravatt.

If you have any information on this accident of the whereabouts of the suspect, contact Chester Jackson with the Florida Highway Patrol.

For information on the reward, call Cravatt at (850) 778-6778. Chester Jackson can be reached at (850) 484-5000.