“I really feel like someone needs to step forward and do the right thing. No one says doing the right thing is easy, but the police need the public's help.”
VACAVILLE, Calif. — A 73-year-old grandfather is in the hospital recovering after he was hurt in a Vacaville hit-and-run.
One of his daughters said she found him lying on the road on her way home from work Monday night. The family lost their mother to cancer several years ago, and this week, they almost lost their father and dog.
He was hit at the intersection of Browns Valley Road and Vacavalley Parkway. Police said a driver hit 72-year-old Romeo Banayat and his dog, Snowman, while they were in the crosswalk.
“It's just traumatic. He's all bruised up and banged,” said Bridget Banayat, one of Romeo Banayat's daughters.
Another one of his daughters found him on the road that night.
“She (had) seen a man on the road that looked like was having a heart attack. He was on the floor, so she pulls over and she goes up to him and she looks down and it's our father on the ground. He's all bloody in the face,” Bridget said.
Bridget said her grandfather usually walks their dog at night.
She said it’s hard for him to run after their pet since he’s an amputee. It happened after he contracted a flesh-eating bacteria over 20 years ago.
“He has bad memories of being in the hospital. My dad is on a prosthetic leg. I don't know if everybody knows that, but he is an amputee and that's the side he was hit on and that's the side he was injured on. So, his fractured femur is on the leg of his amputee leg,” Bridget said.
Vacaville police said he was thrown onto the road and suffered a dislocated shoulder and fractured hip.
Police also said it appears Snowman was also dragged under the car, but the family said they can't afford to take their dog to the vet just yet.
Police are looking for the car that hit them. While they don’t have a description, they said it may have front-end damage. They're asking anyone with information to come forward.
They're also also calling on residents to remain vigilant, especially if they walk at night.
“I believe the community is on alert, because this is our third pedestrian struck by a vehicle in the last two weeks. Last week, we had two separate incidents where pedestrians were struck while walking by vehicles. One of those was a hit-and-run, and unfortunately, one of those was a fatal collision,” said Lt. Chris Lechuga, with the Vacaville Police Department.
Bridget is also pleading with the driver who hit her father.
“I really feel like someone needs to step forward and do the right thing. No one said doing the right thing is easy, but the police need the public's help. And we need your guys' help,” Bridget said.
The family now wants either crosswalk lights or four-way lights to be installed at the four-way stop to help prevent this from ever happening again.
Vacaville police said this is something they will look into during their investigation. Meanwhile, the family has a GoFundMe set up to pay for any vet bills.
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