A teenager was left unconscious on the roadside after being struck by a vehicle while skating in DeKalb County, Georgia, prompting his mother to appeal for the driver to come forward.
Kristopher was found by passers-by on River Road near Ridgetop at about 1.15pm on Tuesday, 29 September, roughly an hour after the collision. Police said the driver left without stopping or calling for emergency assistance.
He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with extensive bruising, a severely swollen forehead and fluid leaking from his pelvis. His mother, Tiffany White, said he could not remember the crash and only recalled waking up in the ambulance.
Doctors kept him in hospital overnight for observation and expected him to be discharged on Wednesday.
“He was laying out there for about an hour before anyone saw him,” Ms White said. “It was really scary.”
She said Kristopher had left the house on his skates after the pair had argued. He had switched off his phone’s location services, meaning she did not realise he had been injured close to their home.
Police appeal after DeKalb County hit-and-run
Investigators have not released a description of the vehicle involved because there were no surveillance cameras covering the area. Police have also not identified any direct witnesses to the collision.
Ms White urged the driver to contact authorities, saying: “Just come forward and let us know what’s going on. I just want to know what’s going on… It could have been worse. He could have died.”
DeKalb County police are asking anyone with information about the crash or the vehicle involved to contact them. Anonymous tips can be sent by texting “DKPD” to 847411.
