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Hit-skip driver damages 3 cars in Canton neighborhood, residents say this is not the first time

Posted at 4:34 PM, May 14, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-14 17:15:44-04

Canton police are planning to step up patrols and examine neighborhood lighting issues after residents raised concerns about hit-skip crashes, the most recent of which happened Sunday.

In that incident, a vehicle turned from 9th Street SW onto Prospect Avenue SW and slammed into a parked Jeep around 1:15 a.m. After that, the vehicle drove onto the sidewalk, crossed the street again and and crashed into two other cars.

Dalton Jacobs was inside his home when the hit-and-run happened.

"I heard a bang coming from outside," Jacobs said. "I think he was drunk and lost control due to road conditions and it being wet and dark."

Richard Young's wife owns the Jeep the driver hit. 

"The front end was pretty crushed. It moved at least eight feet," Young said.

Young, who has lived at the intersection for 33 years, estimated eight to ten of his vehicles have been damaged over the years by speeding or reckless drivers on his street.

"We've been hit quite a few times, and normally they don't stop, whether it's daytime or nighttime," he said.

Across the street, Melissa Knight has a similar story. She said about a half a dozen of her cars have been totaled over 21 years.

"When you get up and you see your car totaled and that's all you have, it's heart-wrenching," Knight said.

There are no driveways along the section of Prospect Avenue. There's a traffic light, and the speed limit is between 25 and 35 miles per hour, but that doesn't seem to be slowing drivers down.

"Someone is going to get seriously hurt," Knight added.

Lt. Lisa Broucker from the traffic bureau found six hit-skip incidents in the neighborhood dating back to 2013, including a March case that still remains unsolved.

Police do not have any suspects in the Sunday hit-and-run incident, only a vague description of the getaway vehicle — a dark-colored pickup truck.

Increased patrols will begin Monday night. Residents can only hope the extra police effort will cut down on the number of crushed cars on their street.

"I don't know exactly what they can do, because these people do what they want and they take off," Knight said.