West Allis PD seeks info in hit-and-run that injured 15-year-old
WEST ALLIS, Wis. - A 15-year-old boy is speaking out after he was hit by a car. The driver of that vehicle has since been on the run.
For the next eight to ten weeks, this is what life is going to be like for Reese Mendez. A full-body brace, with a leg wrap is helping keep him upright, and mobile.
"Something in my spine is broken, so I have to wear a brace that's full-body," Reese Mendez said.
A few pounds of metal, and a limp, is all he has to show after being struck by a car last week.
Reese Mendez
"I was walking down the street, and he was coming towards me, and he started speeding up and he took a right turn into me. And he didn't have any blinker or anything. He was just going really fast," Mendez said. "I tried to jump when he hit me so I wouldn't get taken underneath the car, but he hit my right leg and I went with my elbow, and my side, into his hood and into his windshield."
It happened in West Allis, near 91st and Rogers around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
"I just dropped him off, drove a few blocks over, and I got a call that, he just told me he got hit by a car," Reese's dad Robert Rutka said.
Robert Rutka
Mendez says the car struck him at roughly 30 to 40 mph before stopping, waiting a moment, and then speeding off.
"I'm thankful," Rutka said. "He could have been paralyzed, it could have been worse. It could have killed him, but to have no disregard to stop and see if he's okay — it's heartless."
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This boy's message for the driver...
"I'm not letting the pain overcome me, and I'm still fighting for every day," Mendez said.
You may have knocked him down, but he's back on his feet and justice will be served.
West Allis police are looking for a dark-colored Nissan, with tinted windows, and a Michael Jordan sticker on the back. Anyone with information is asked to give them a call at 414-302-8000.
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