8-year-old, her mother recovering after truck hits them in Northeast Austin
AUSTIN, Texas - An eight-year-old girl and her mother are recovering after being hit by a truck in Northeast Austin last month. The driver ran off but was caught and is now in jail.
The incident happened on March 24 around 9 p.m.
"We were coming from church," Barbara Carter said.
Carter and her eight-year-old daughter, Anita, were riding in a motorized wheelchair down the sidewalk near the La Hacienda off Coronado Hills Drive.
"The truck just came out of nowhere," Carter said.
The driver of the Ram truck was 46-year-old Jose Martinez-Lorenzo.
"He should have stopped, we don’t know why he didn’t stop," eight-year-old Anita Gonzales said.
"Out of nowhere, he just came speeding and hit us," Carter said.
Anita and her mother fell to the ground.
"I remember when my mom threw us to the side, I didn’t really feel her throw us on the side or anything, because I was way too in shock, my brain went into the motion that it was just a lot," Anita said.
Anita said she was in pain.
"I was bleeding all from my achilles," Anita said.
"All I saw was lights right there, and I could hear my baby yelling, ‘mommy, mommy, my leg, mommy,’" Carter said.
While they tried to get help, the driver of the truck, Martinez-Lorenzo, took off.
"He needs help, and he needs to find God in his life," Anita said.
Court documents said Martinez-Loreno admitted to hitting the little girl and her mother, and drove to a parking lot about half a mile from the crash because he knew "he did wrong."
A DPS trooper found Martinez-Lorenzo and arrested him. Investigators said there was damage to the truck and what appeared to be human flesh stuck to the driver-side door. Martinez-Lorenzo is facing a felony accident involving serious bodily injury charge.
Anita is recovering. She broke a bone and tore her achilles. She now uses a walker to get around in her cast.
"It was hard for me to sleep, especially because of how I was traumatized. I would say in my sleep, I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay," Anita said.
Anita and her mother said they'd eventually be okay. They’ve started a GoFundMe to help pay for Anita’s recovery.
"I’m just very thankful that we’re both alive and that she’s alive, and she’s breathing still, I can still hear her voice, I’m thankful for that," Carter said.
"I forgive him," Anita said.
Martinez-Lorenzo is being held in the Travis County Jail on $25,000 bond.