Man robbed while lying in the street after hit-and-run, family searching for answers
The video shows Carl Vargas, heading along Third Avenue on his motorcycle, when a speeding Camero blows through the light and hits the 26-year-old, knocking him unconscious.
“It hurts to see him like that,” declares Andy Meissner, Vargas’s brother.
Vargas’s family is still trying to process the July 14th crash that left him in the hospital, where he’s being treated to this day.
They say for several days, they scoured the neighborhoods around the scene, searching for surveillance video and answers. The family shared some of the video they found with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.
“Seeing it is devastating,” Meissner says. “It’s tough, tough, to say the least.”
“He had some swelling, some brain swelling,” adds Victoria Nichols, Vargas’s aunt. “Fractures in his neck, and even his skull.”
An MPD report lists the early morning crash as a hit and run, with the driver fleeing the scene.
Other footage shows what appears to be the Camero’s airbags deployed.
The family says two men jumped out into a waiting SUV.
“The people who struck him, fled into another vehicle and left the scene,” Meissner explains. “Another person walked by and took his bag with his wallet and his phone. Made it hard for first responders to ID him.”
The family says Vargas has no memory of the crash, and that he’s now working with a speech therapist. He also started eating solid food during the last few days.
But Vargas has other injuries, including broken bones in his foot and ankle, and one toe has been amputated.
“It’s going to be a long journey. He has not only a lot of physical hurdles to get over, but also mentally,” Nichols says. “It’s really hard to understand that this could happen.”
The family says Vargas was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash – which they believe, saved his life.
But they also believe there are other people out there who saw something, including some who may have taken pictures with their cell phones.
MPD is calling the case an ‘open, active investigation’ and that anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers.
The family has set up a crowdfunding page to help with medical and other expenses. You can find the link HERE.
They are hoping someone comes forward.
“That’s kind of why we’re here today,” Meissner explains. “Get that exposure and hopefully get the right help we need for Carl, for justice, and also the long recovery ahead.”