Injured Bradley student looks for answers after hit and run crash

PEORIA (25 News Now) - A Bradley University student wants to know who the driver was who hit him while crossing the street when he was walking to campus a couple of months ago.

Peoria Police say they have no suspect information.

“I actually don’t remember that day,” said senior and Peoria native Sid Saxena.

Saxena just remembers waking up in the hospital, but there’s video on Dec. 12, just before 5 pm that shows exactly what happened.

The surveillance video shows Saxena trying to cross Main Street near the Renaissance Coliseum, when a car hits him. The driver then gets out of the car and looks at him lying in the road before driving away.

It’s something Saxena can’t understand.

“They open their door, saw me and still drove off. I want to know why you would do that,” said Saxena.

Saxena says he was in the hospital for five days. He says he had a traumatic brain injury, bleeding from his head, a separated shoulder and bruised legs.

“Injury wise, I’m doing a lot better than a lot of people are when they get hit by a car. So, I’m thankful for that,” said Saxena.

After the incident, Saxena began to go out of his way to get to class. He walked an extra block to use a crosswalk with a blinking pedestrian light, instead of the one he was hit at on Haussler Lane.

“Now, I’m having to worry about so many things with insurance, and I have so many appointments for therapy, CT, follow ups and stuff like that,” said Saxena.

As a pre-med student studying chemistry, Saxena says studying came natural to him, but now that’s changed.

“Classes have been a bit of a struggle,” he said.

“I’ve been so used to the same way of studying and paying attention. It’s been hard to adapt, but hopefully I get through it.”

However, he’s still looking for who’s responsible. His family has also hired a private detective.

“Somebody knows this person. This person stopped for a little bit and got out, so I think this person does care, for some reason he decided to drive off, he or she,” said private detective Greg Spencer with Spencer Investigations.

Peoria Police tell 25News they have no suspect information, but a police report shows officers believe the suspect’s car is a royal blue four door sedan, possibly a Ford or similar model.

Peoria Police Spokesperson Semone Roth says cars are required to stop when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk.

Bradley Spokesperson Libby Allison says it’s extremely rare for a student to be hit when crossing Main Street.

For Saxena, who was just trying to get to his final exam that chilly night, he’s staying alert on the streets.

“It’s a tough crosswalk,” said Saxena.

Contact Peoria Police with any information at 309-673-4521, Tip411 (anonymously), or Crime Stoppers (anonymously) at 309-673-9000.

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