A man who was the face of a pedestrian safety campaign over a decade ago was seriously injured in a hit-and-run near the National Mall on Sunday.
Stephen Grasty, 29, was hit while riding a Lime scooter home from work at The Park, a nightclub on 14th Street NW, at about 4 a.m. The crash happened in front of the Washington Monument at the intersection of 14th Street and Jefferson Drive SW.
While lying in the street, Stephen was able to Facetime his mother, Shelley Grasty.
“He was screaming in pain about his leg, and he said it was broken,” she said.
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She told News4 that 10 years ago her son was pictured in a pedestrian safety campaign with a tire track across his face. The ad reads, "Pedestrians don't come with airbags. Yield to pedestrians when turning." He is also a Howard University graduate.
Doctors told his family he was lucky to be alive. He is in the ICU with a broken neck, leg, and foot. He is scheduled for multiple surgeries in the coming days, according to Shelley Grasty.
“He's still in high spirits. He's extremely scared, as we all are,” she said.
According to a police report, a witness saw a car that looked like a 2013 Nissan Sentra with Virginia tags hit Stephen without stopping. The witness then followed the driver into Virginia and was able to get the car's tag number.
“I just want to thank her for being here and for having the courage to chase this vehicle and obtain that tag number. Because if it wasn't for her, my son was left here for dead, cars were driving around him. I just want to thank her,” Shelley Grasty said.
She wants the person who was driving the car that hit her son to come forward.
“How you could hit a person and leave them is despicable. I don't know how you're sleeping at night. My son did not deserve this,” she said.
Stephen’s family retrieved the torn clothes he was wearing that night from the scene of the crash. They question whether the intersection has adequate lighting and whether the traffic cameras were working at the time of the crash.
Police continue to search for the driver of the car who hit him.
