The SUV was moving at high speed when it clipped a sign pole, sending the sign crashing onto the roof before the vehicle rolled into a parking lot. The driver fled on foot and remains unidentified. Columbus police are asking the public to help.
A driver fled on foot after a Ford Edge rolled multiple times on West Mound Street just past Harrisburg Pike in Columbus’s Westgate neighborhood at approximately 2:30 a.m. Saturday, leaving two passengers behind in the wrecked vehicle, according to a Columbus Division of Police press release. The front seat passenger was transported to Grant Medical Center in critical condition; the rear seat passenger was taken to the same hospital in stable condition. The driver has not been located or identified. The Accident Investigation Unit is handling the investigation and is asking anyone with information to call police.
How the Crash Happened
Columbus police say the Ford Edge was traveling west on West Mound Street at a high rate of speed when the driver lost control and the vehicle veered off the right side of the road. The SUV struck a pole supporting a large sign. The impact broke the pole and sent the sign down onto the passenger side of the vehicle’s roof. The Ford Edge then rolled two more times before coming to rest in a parking lot off West Mound Street.
Emergency crews arrived on scene and found both passengers still inside the vehicle. The driver was gone. Columbus police confirmed in their press release that the driver fled the scene on foot, abandoning the two passengers. No suspect description has been released by police.
This Westgate hit-skip marks the second major incident in Columbus within hours, following Construction Worker Killed in Hit-and-Run on I-70.
Two Hurt, Driver Still Missing
Medics took the front seat passenger to Grant Medical Center in critical condition. The rear seat passenger was also transported to Grant Medical Center and is in stable condition. Police have not released the identities or ages of either passenger. No updates on their conditions have been issued since the initial police report.
No suspect description has been released. Police have not confirmed whether surveillance footage from the area is being reviewed.
Investigation Ongoing
The Columbus Division of Police Accident Investigation Unit is leading the investigation. No charges have been filed and no suspects have been identified.
Police are asking anyone with information about the driver or the crash to call the Accident Investigation Unit at (614) 645-4767. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-8477.
This article is based on information released by the Columbus Division of Police. Injury conditions, suspect status, and investigation details may change as the case develops. ColumbusFrontline.com will update this article as new official information is released.