By Donnie Tuggle
Published: Jun. 30, 2024 at 9:57 PM CDT
RIVERSIDE, Texas (KBTX) - A hit-and-run crash on Thursday morning has left a mother of two seriously injured, and the search for the suspect is underway.
The crash occurred just before 8 a.m. near the intersection of Highway 19 and FR980 in Riverside, near the Walker/Trinity County line.
The Texas Department of Public Safety states that a 2008 Dodge pickup truck failed to yield the right of way, striking a 2005 Yamaha motorcycle traveling southbound on Highway 19. The driver fled the scene without assisting the motorcyclist.
Surveillance footage from a smoke shop across the street captured the crash, and it has been shared extensively on social media.
(VIDEO BELOW)
According to DPS, the motorcyclist, Katie Reese, was transported to a hospital in Conroe with serious injuries and has since been released.
The driver of the pickup truck has since been identified as 46-year-old Angela Fannin of Trinity. She is on the run and a warrant has been issued by the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office for Collision Involving Serious Bodily Injury, Tamper/Fabricate Physical Evidence with Intent to Impair, and Evading Arrest or Detention.
Reese visited the scene of the incident for the first time Sunday afternoon and recounted the harrowing experience, saying,
“I remember spinning and falling on the back of my helmet and on the back of my neck. I remember sitting up looking at the back of her truck, trying to get as much information as I possibly could about her vehicle. And then I remember her taking off and speeding away,” Reese said.
Despite her injuries, Reese says she tried to stand up but collapsed twice.
“I tried to get up twice and I couldn’t, for some reason, I don’t know if my nerves were blocking my legs from actually truly trying to function. And I just remember laying on the ground,” she said.
Four good Samaritans came to her aid, keeping her conscious and calling for help. Reese says the entire ordeal left her with a sense of helplessness when the driver fled.
“I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t muster the words to tell somebody, ‘Hey, try to stop them,’ or anything. All I could do was just cry. I was in a significant amount of pain,” Reese recounted.
After watching the surveillance video, Reese says she realized how close she came to being run over.
“Her truck went over the front wheel and the front rotor of my motorcycle. The wheel grazed the back of my leg, which is where I have pain. My pants from that day have her tread marks on them. My guardian angel was working overtime and I didn’t have any major injuries,’ Reese added.
Reese says she has a message for Fannin, hoping that she will consider her actions and do what’s right.
“I would tell her to turn herself in. There are now fixing to be five agencies working to find her. What she did was very wrong, very immoral, very unethical. I don’t know how somebody could hit a motorcyclist that doesn’t have anything to protect them other than a helmet, and look at them on the ground in pain, and just drive away. The best thing you could do is turn yourself in,” said Reese.
She also praised the people who helped her after the crash.
“There was one gentleman, his name was Crash. I remember him very well. There was an older woman that kneeled on the ground and prayed with me. Another gentleman with glasses called my employer and my husband, relaying that I was hurt. They all used their vehicles to block traffic around me, making a box so that no one else could hurt me. They took the time out of their day to protect me as much as they could,” Reese added.
Reese says her road to recovery has been challenging, not just for her but her entire family.
“My back has a lot of inflammation, and my neck and leg muscles are extremely swollen and sore. It hurts to move. I have a very active seven and eight-year-old, and it’s affected my mobility very much with my children,” said Reese.
Reese has created a GoFundMe to help with her legal and medical expenses.
“Whether it’s sharing the link or donating, anything at all would help right now,” she said.
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