Galley Hatch worker struck by alleged DUI driver happy to be alive: 'I feel no anger'

HAMPTON — Jaroslav “Jerry” Langer has no ill will toward the driver police say was intoxicated and struck him on his walk home from work, but he does have questions.

Langer, 25, has no memory of the Aug. 30 accident that left him with a serious skull injury and several bruises. The last thing he recalls was finishing up his work at the Galley Hatch restaurant and telling his coworker he would be out soon to walk home.

A J-1 visa student from Czechia, commonly known as the Czech Republic, Langer is now recovering and preparing to fly home, where he is completing his master’s degree in computer science. He said he is not angry with the woman who allegedly hit him and was subsequently arrested and charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated.

What he does want, he said, is to understand how the driver ended up behind the wheel and driving in his direction.

“I’m a little curious why this happened to her, then to me,” Langer said. “But other than that, I don’t feel, like, anger or anything.”

Management and staff at the Galley Hatch, on the corner of Winnacunnet Road and Route 1, have rallied to raise money for Langer and be by his side. Langer said he has talked with his parents, but in the United States his family is the Galley Hatch, where he has made a name for himself as a hard worker with a kind attitude.

“Just a standup kind of guy,” said Joe Linnehan, chief operating officer of Tinios Hospitality, which owns Galley Hatch.

The Galley Hatch staff have started a GoFundMe page to help cover costs for Langer. Linnehan said despite what Langer has experienced, he has found Langer’s spirits are “higher than anyone you would know.”

“He’s just happy to be alive,” Linnehan said.

Previous story: Hampton woman allegedly hit pedestrian, charged with aggravated DUI

Crash leaves Langer badly injured; driver arrested for aggravated DUI

Langer was struck at 9:37 p.m. while walking home on Winnacunnet Road near Towle Avenue, according to police.

The driver Karen Haraden, 59, was driving east on Winnacunnet Road, the same direction as Langer and his friend, according to Hampton police Capt. Anthony Azarian.

The two pedestrians were walking in the breakdown lane, where Azarian said Haraden’s vehicle struck them.

Hampton police said a caller reported a person down on the ground, and Langer was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. The New Hampshire State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit were called to assist with investigating the crash.

Haraden was arrested on a Class B felony count of aggravated driving under the influence. Azarian deferred further questions about the crash to the Rockingham County attorney’s office, which is handling the case. Haraden will be arraigned in Rockingham Superior Court on Oct. 5.

Doctors found that Langer suffered from massive skull fractures and severe lacerations, according to Tinios Hospitality in their GoFundMe page.

Linnehan said the skull is expected to take some time to heal. He said the Galley Hatch staff was by Langer’s side the moment the crash happened. The daughter of another Galley Hatch employee was coincidentally driving east on Winnacunnet Road and stopped to help, he said. Since then, Linnehan said he and others have helped Langer with appointments and completing paperwork with the J-1 agency. The place he lives is also provided by the Galley Hatch for their staff.

“These are people he spent more time with at work than you do with people at home,” Linnehan said. “That it happened to anybody in our company, it’s just devastating.”

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Galley Hatch family rallies to help Langer

Langer is preparing to go home for the rest of his medical care, as doctors told him he needed to see physicians in Czech Republic, where they could schedule his coming appointments and potential surgery.

For Langer, the experience in New Hampshire this season was about making the most of his last chance to use a J-1 visa for travel. He is in the final year of his master’s degree and hopes to start a career in computer science.

Hampton was not Langer’s first choice, he said. Initially, he wanted to work in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, this summer. That opportunity fell through, however, so he applied for the job listed at the Galley Hatch.

“I have little background in culinary stuff,” Langer said. “But I was like, ‘Yeah, sounds good, why not apply?’”

Langer said the location and job ended up being perfect. He has a short walk to work and said he liked the quiet section of town where he and other employees are put up to live by the Galley Hatch. He said he likes the beach but does not go as often as others.

Langer said the support from his coworkers and members of the community have been overwhelming. He said they have visited him at the hospital. In addition to setting up the GoFundMe page, the crew collected cash donations at the restaurant and initially through a manager’s personal Venmo account.

“The people care about me more than I could imagine,” Langer said.

Linnehan said the biggest lesson to be learned is the threat intoxicated driving brings to the roadway.

“I think that people just think they can get behind that wheel, which you know, is a devastating mistake,” Linnehan said. “To see it happen in real time, it’s heartbreaking.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton NH: Galley Hatch worker 'happy to be alive' after hit by car