NORFOLK, Va. — The daughter of 85-year-old Vinnie Lanier asked for the public’s help to find the hit-and-run driver that put her mother in the hospital.
“I don’t see how somebody could be that cold and heartless. To not even stop to see if the person is ok. I’m just trying to make sense of it, and it doesn’t make sense at all,” said Andrea Lanier.
Lanier said she received a phone call from her mother’s friend who said that she’d been hit by a car. Vinnie Lanier was on her way to an event at The Attucks Theater last Friday night when the accident happened.
“The lady that was with my mother says she remembers hearing someone yelling, some kids saying watch out there’s a car. When she turned around the car was speeding up the street and just ran straight into my mother, and she said she just went up into the air, and the car just kept going,” said Lanier.
The incident happened on February 8 around 7 p.m., while Vinnie Lanier was crossing the intersection of Wide and Henry Streets behind the theater. Police believe the driver was in a silver or grey Nissan Altima.
After Lanier was hit, the vehicle fled the scene.
Lanier was initially taken to hospital in stable condition; however, her condition has declined, and she is currently listed as critical. Her daughter Katie Swain told 13News Now her mother is in a coma.
“She has severe brain injury. Her body is not functioning on its own. It could be anyone else’s family member or friend that this type of incident would have occurred to. We are just devastated at this time,” said Swain.
Lanier’s daughters are asking for prayers for her mother to recover and that anyone who knows who the driver of the car that hit her to come forward.
“For someone to be so ruthless and not take a moment to even care. We would just hope that if someone has any information to come forward,” said Swain.