This is a story I hoped I’d never have to write.
And to be honest, I’m struggling to write it now.
Because a Ramona woman has died, three years after she was severely injured in a hit-and-run.
Michelle Scott was 53 when she was the victim of a horrific collision while riding her bike to work on October 2nd, 2019.
She was struck by the driver of a Ford SUV at 6:30 am while riding on the right shoulder of northbound State Route 67, north of Dye Road.
The driver fled without stopping, with her bicycle still stuck in his grill for more than a mile before it finally fell off.
Police arrested then 34-year-old Ramona resident Chase Edward Richard six days later, holding him on $1 million bail on suspicion of felony hit-and-run, after a neighbor spotted his damaged SUV hidden under cardboard in his garage and painted another color.
Richard served two years of a 44-month sentence after accepting a plea, and is now free on supervised probation, and still must serve 200 hours of community service.
Scott was initially hospitalized with a severe brain injury, and spent the next three years in various long-term care facilities. At best he was able to gesture with her thumb, and struggled to say the name of her husband of 35 years.
She died November 27 when she was disconnected from life support after developing an infection.
Michelle Scott will be buried at Miramar National Cemetery, thanks to her husband Don’s military service; a celebration of life is planned for January 4th.
This is at least the 81st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 12th that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
Scott is also at least the 26th bike rider to die as a result of a hit-and-run in Southern California since the first of the year.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Michelle Scott and all her family and loved ones.
Excuse me but I have a question about the accounting of this death. Does this count as a 2022 death or the last death of 2019? I mean practically for the victim and their loved ones dead is dead, but will this be counted as a death of the year she died or a death of the year she was hit? And can the charges for the driver be raised to murder or has too much time passed between the wreck and the death?
I assume it would be double jeopardy to try him again for her death. But I’m not a lawyer, so what the hell do I know?
I’m counting this one under this year, since so much time has passed since the crash. When I could still afford Filemaker, I counted crashes and deaths separately, since there was often a separation between the two. Now that I’ve lost access to that database, I only track deaths. And she died this year, albeit as a direct result of injuries she suffered in 2019.
There will be a mass, funeral & Celebration of Life for Michelle Scott on Wednesday January 4, 2023; 11:00 a.m. mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary 537 E St. Ramona; 2:15 p.m. burial at Miramar National Cemetary 5795 Nobel Rd. San Diego; Celebration Of Life at VFW Post 3783 at 2247 Kelly Ave. Ramona.