Palmer Lake hit and run suspect is still on the loose
PALMER LAKE, Colo. (KRDO)- A hit-and-run suspect is still on the loose after crashing into a motorcyclist and driving off. It happened off Highway 105 and Westward Lane in Palmer Lake over the weekend.
Palmer Lake Police say it's still under investigation and won't tell us anything about a suspect.
Tareja Mitchem is thankful to have her husband Nathan alive after he was involved in a hit-and-run accident Sunday night. His helmet cracked from the crash, his motorcycle was left in bad shape.
"And I was just praying the whole time because I had no idea what I was going to walk into. What kind of shape he was in? And I just prayed and said, God, I just need you to be with me because I have no idea what I'm about to see," said Mitchem.
Nathan was taken to Penrose Hospital after the crash. Yesterday he was taken out of the ICU but he has a long road to recovery.
"There was a lot of unknowns at that time. We didn't know his neck was broken. If his back was broken, he was coughing up blood and it was just really scary," said Mitchem. "They're saying that it will take at least six months for his recovery, and that's just to get back to somewhat normal."
Susan Coleman is the good samaritan who stopped to help Nathan. Coleman and her family just happened to be passing by moments after the crash. Coleman is CPR certified, and she did her best to help Nathan.
"I always go with there's a reason for everything. There's a reason why we left late. Like, there's a reason why we're backed up into the parking lot. There's a reason why I came around that corner when I did," said Coleman. "Taking the choice to put our pickup truck in front of the scene to make room for the fire departments coming in, but it would also protect her husband because the traffic wouldn't slow down."
Mitchem said she wants the person responsible for this to come forward.
"And it's heartbreaking as a situation is I have forgiven him and I'm praying for him to tell the police what happened and and to come forward and to take responsibility for making the decision to hit my husband and leave him there to die," said Mitchem.
The family has created a GoFundMe page to help pay for medical expenses.
