nwasianweekly.com
Feb. 23, 2008

Tracey Wong

Family searches for driver in hit-and-run

By Evangeline Cafe
Northwest Asian Weekly

The Wong family of Seattle is asking for the public’s help in finding the driver who hit and seriously injured their loved one.

Witnesses say a man driving a light-blue mid-’90s Toyota Corolla or Camry struck 16-year-old Tracey Wong on the afternoon of Wednesday, Feb. 13.

It happened at the intersection of Cheasty Boulevard South and 25th Avenue South in Beacon Hill, near the Jefferson Golf Course. Tracey was on her way home after a school bus dropped her off.

Witnesses say the Garfield High School sophomore was walking on the sidewalk when the car hit her from behind, dragged her about a half-block, and then ran her over.

The incident left Tracey with multiple broken bones. She remained in critical condition for days at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center before she was transferred to another location wherein she could recover for at least another month.

The driver, meanwhile, fled the scene and remains on the loose. Witnesses were unable to jot down the license plate number, but did manage to catch a glimpse of him. They describe him as an Asian man between 20 and 30 years old. They also say his car endured front-end damage to the grill or hood.

Witnesses say the driver was speeding at the time of the incident, and nearly hit two other pedestrians before hitting Tracey.

Family members said it hurts them to see Tracey suffer so much.

“When we see Tracey, we see her pain, and she’s crying, but we can’t help her,” said Tracey’s aunt, Sandy Wong.

Doctors said Tracey faces a long road of therapy ahead, but they expect her to fully recover.

Now relatives and friends are coming together, urging anyone to come forward with any information on the crime. They hope police will catch the hit-and-run driver before he strikes again.

“If he can do it to Tracey, he can do it to anyone else,” said Wong.

Wong and others are also praying that the man responsible will take the initiative to turn himself in.

“If he hit someone, he should have stopped and called 911, instead of rolling her over,” she said.

“We’d like him to come forward and be responsible for what he did,” she said.

If you have any information about this hit-and-run, please contact the Seattle Police Department South Precinct at 206-386-1850.

Evangeline Cafe can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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