85-year-old woman sent to hospital after hit-and-run, wants driver to come forward

SOUTH BEND, Ind. --- A South Bend woman said she had to go to the hospital after being in a hit and run accident on Friday morning. 

Fran Hedl, 85, said she was driving down Ironwood Road near the State Road 23 intersection when she was hit.

“He hit me so hard, I thought ‘what, where am I?’” said Hedl. 

She said the crash caused her to hit the woman’s car in front of her. On Saturday, the county dispatch confirmed a 4-vehicle hit and run crash at 8:42 a.m. occurred near Ironwood and South Bend Avenue. 

Hedl said the woman who she hit told her a man caused the accident. She told Hedl he took off moments after the crash. 

“He had to be going pretty fast to do all that damage to my car,” said Hedl. 

The front bumper of Hedl’s car is hanging off in pictures shown to ABC 57 News. While the trunk, is almost non-existent.

Hedl said she had to go to the emergency room after the accident. She said she received a head CT and x-ray of her chest and left hand. 

“I’m in pain,” she said. “It hurts me to swallow, I can’t use my left hand.”

Hedl said doctors told her she’s lucky to still have her left eye, because she said it missed the steering wheel by a couple of inches when her head hit.

“Now she’s out of a car, now she can’t get prescriptions,” said Hedl’s daughter. “She’s going to have a hard time driving and it isn’t right.”

Hedl’s daughter said she urges people with any information on the driver to call the South Bend Police Department or the St. Joseph County Police Department. 

“I’m just so mad at the guy that took off,” Hedl said. “They’ll probably never catch this guy and I’m just worried, I’m 85, I don’t need this.”