A Virginia woman who was hit by a vehicle while jogging is glad that a suspect has been arrested, but angry that she was "left for dead" in the Sept. 23 incident, WAVY reported.
Karen Stout, 53, was jogging in Virginia Beach when she was struck by an SUV, the Virginian-Pilot reported. She suffered two broken ankles and fractures in her ribs and back, the newspaper reported.
After 13 days, police arrested Alexis Rummel, 29, of Virginia Beach and charged her with felony hit and run. She was released on bond, the Virginian-Pilot reported.
Stout, a special education reading teacher at a middle school, said she probably would be unable to return to work until January, the newspaper reported.
Stout told WAVY there was "absolutely no excuse" for Rummel to leave the scene of the accident.
“She panicked, of course she panicked. Who wouldn't panic? But you panic and then you call 911. You then make sure the person that you have knocked out is OK, and you stay with them," Stout told the television station. "She could have left me for dead. She may have thought she left me for dead. She had no idea if I were OK or not."
A few days after the accident, Stout posted a photo on Facebook that showed the SUV she believed was involved in the hit-and-run, the Virginian-Pilot reported. Friends shared the post, including Stout's friend, Shannon Wilson.
"Less than 10 minutes (after sharing the post), my neighbor comes knocking on my door," Wilson told the newspaper. "She said, 'I swear that car is in our neighborhood right now.' I said, 'Let's go.'"
Wilson took photos of the SUV and called police to pass on the information, the Virginian-Pilot reported.
Rummel works in the mailroom of the Virginia Beach Treasurer's Office, WAVY reported. Treasurer John Atkinson said Rummel will remain an employee until the trial is over.
"I believe everyone is innocent until proven guilty," Atkinson told the television station.
Stout said she was still angry that the suspect did not stop when the accident occurred.
"I can't believe you didn't stop or call 911," Stout told WAVY. "Didn't you wonder if I was dead or not? How could you do such a thing?"
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