VIDEO: Woman lucky to be alive after motorcycle hit-and-run crash in Jacksonville
A local woman is lucky to be alive after she was struck by a car in a hit-and-run crash. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is also asking for help from the community to find the person responsible for hitting her.
It happened on October 30 at the intersection of Hecksher Dr. and I-295, when Brandy Vogel said she and her friend were coming home from a night ride.
Vogel said the two were trying to stop at the GATE gas station in the area but didn’t make it.
Video released by police and taken from her friend’s Insta360 camera shows her driving under the overpass and through a green light when a crash report said the driver of the white sedan ran a red light and caused the crash. Instead of stopping for help, the car sped off.
Vogel tried to break a little bit just before impact.
“There was nowhere to go, it was too fast there’s no escape path for me,” she said. “There’s nothing I could do but brake and hope.”
The aftermath left Vogel hurt and the front of her bike crushed.
“I’m going through physical therapy for my spine, I have a spinal hematoma and a broken nose,” she said. “My helmet went into the side of the car, so it just shattered the center of my nose and I have to have surgery to have that corrected and fixed.”
Video she gave us shows witnesses tried to help and call 911. Vogel said she eventually got in contact with the witnesses who stayed at the scene to help her and have remained in contact with them since.
Warning: This video may be hard to watch for some viewers
Action News Jax obtained a 911 call from this crash:
“The car ran the red light, hit the motorcycle and the car drove off,” the 911 caller said.
“It’s mind-boggling to me that someone wouldn’t stop,” she said. “That is something I really struggle with when I think about the situation.”
Her friend who was on his motorcycle behind her, James Brinkley, had his camera on and caught the crash.
“As soon as it hit her, all I could think about was ‘holy crap is she okay? I need to get to her and make sure she’s alright,’ I was terrified,” he said.
Brinkley feels fortunate the crash wasn’t any worse.
“I’m glad she’s still with us, that’s the biggest thing, my friend is still here,” he said.
Police said the white sedan should have some sort of damage to its driver’s side, rear quarter panel, and or bumper. Vogel said she was told it’s also missing a door handle on the driver’s side.
“We’re hoping we will be lucky, we have footage of the incident, and we took appropriate actions and things of that nature to try and find the person we can hold accountable,” Vogel said.
While the search for the driver continues, Vogel also is working towards getting back to 100 percent and doing what she loves.
“It’s something I really love, it’s something that means a lot to me so if I can do it again I definitely am going to,” she said.
A GoFundMe has also been created to help with medical expenses.
Police ask if you have any information that could help them find the driver and the vehicle, to give them a call at 904-630-0500 or JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. You can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.
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