A DeWitt woman who was severely injured in a hit and run last summer, hopes her experience will make other runners think twice before going on the road.
In August Amy Norris, 30, was on her usual morning run along a rural section of Airport Road. Norris doesn't remember what happened, only dialing 911 saying she had a broken leg.
"I'm really lucky to be alive," Amy said. "The hard part for me to understand is just that they hit me and then just left me there."
The impact knocked Amy into a ditch, fracturing her bones in 14 places.
"For about a month, I was hospitalized and couldn't get out of bed, couldn't do anything," Amy said.
She now has metal rods holding both her legs together and a screw attaching her pelvis back to her spine.
"I have 4 young kids and not being able to be the mom that I wanted to be, you learn not to take any thing for granted," Amy noted.
It's taken months, but Amy is out a wheelchair, off crutches and back to walking. Even though she may never be able to run again Amy is hoping what happened to her will get others off the road.
"Seeing people jogging on the side of the road just makes me cringe, especially when I see a sidewalk there or some other option," Amy said. "Think about what risk you're taking.".
Knowing what she could lose Amy says she is sticking to sidewalks and bike paths.
"It's just nice to be able to walk and not to constantly be looking over your shoulder or be worrying," she said. "I encourage everyone to definitely start looking into what is around your area and if there isn't anything around your area, what can you do about that?"
As for the driver that left Amy in a ditch, she's trying to forgive them but never forgetting.
"I think about them all the time, I wonder what happened and why," Amy added. "All it takes is just a second and I think we've all had those times when we've been driving and look up and you see somebody, now to think of 'I wonder how many kids they have' or all the people that could be affected and how things could change just so quickly."
Police are still looking for the driver who hit Amy. It happened around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, August 16, 2016 on Airport Road near the intersection of West Cutler Road. The car would have damage to the right front or passenger side and could be missing an antenna. Investigators also found red paint smears on Amy's clothing.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call DeWitt Police Detective Schaberg at (517) 669-6578.
