GAINESVILLE, Ga. — A Gainesville man remains critical but stable condition after he was struck by an SUV while pushing a shopping cart down a road in Hall County. The victim, Clyde Smith, 65, spoke to his daughter before he was sedated and put on a ventilator.
"He told me he got hit, he remembers flying, I don't know how many feet into a gully. He said he tried to stand up, but couldn't. His tibia was broken. He fell to his knees and prayed to the Lord," said daughter Symantha Smith.
Smith said her father has broken bones, a head and neck injury and bruises on his lungs. On Tuesday, a Georgia State Patrol officer returned to Clarks Bridge Road to look for additional evidence including broken pieces from the hit and run vehicle. Investigators examined a splash guard and pieces of a broken mirror and headlight and determined the parts are from a 2006 to 2010 Ford Explorer.
"For whatever reason, they decided to leave the scene. It would have been minor, but now that the subject has left the scene and it involves a serious injury accident, now these charges become felonies." said Georgia State Patrol Sgt. Anthony Coleman.
The victim's daughter described him as a devout, kind and generous man.
"It's heartbreaking, it's really heartbreaking. The driver should just turn himself in so we can have some peace and closure.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Georgia State Patrol or Hall County Sheriff's Office.
WSBTV
