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Daytona Beach hit-and-run victim recovers during Christmas
A man who was injured in a hit-and-run has a long road to recovery. Jim Waskowiak suffered a broken tailbone, pelvis, femur, wrist, sternum, and ribs. Detectives say the woman accused of committing the hit-and-run was caught with two bottles of liquor and a bag of cocaine in the car.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A Florida man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was hurt in a hit-and-run while celebrating his birthday by a woman who had a suspended license.
Jim Waskowiak, who was hurt in a December hit-and-run in Volusia County says he's lost everything.
What we know:
Jim Waskowiak was injured in a hit-and-run on Dec. 13 and spent over a week in the hospital with a broken tailbone, pelvis, femur, wrist, sternum, and ribs.
The incident report says a detective and sergeant were nearby and heard the crash, so they rushed over, and were able to chase down the suspect, Ireshae Carn. Daytona Beach Police said they caught her with two bottles of liquor and a bag of cocaine in the car. Officers say she blew more than twice the legal blood-alcohol limit.
Ireshae Carn is accused of a December hit-and-run in Daytona Beach.
Carn’s license was still suspended from a 2022 DUI crash. In that case, she repeatedly violated her parole and was warned she could face 12 years in prison, but got notice from her probation officer in April of this year, saying she was being let off the hook, FOX 35's Marie Edinger reported.
And at the time of the crash, she was out on bond for another felony case – one of 11 she’s faced in the past 20 years, along with even more misdemeanors.
What they're saying:
Waskowiak is now saying he's lost everything.
Waskowiak – who was out celebrating his 54th birthday – was riding a custom-built motorcycle.
"I just remember waking up 10 hours later with my leg in traction," he told Edinger, eleven days after the crash.
The day they spoke was the first he was able to wash his hair. He has almost no use of the entire right side of his body at the moment.
"I don't know how somebody could do that to somebody – leave them to die. Nonchalantly just drive away, like nothing ever happened," said Waskowiak.
Before the crash, Waskowiak had lost another custom bike in July along with an RV he’d been living in and the trailer hauling the bike. This happened when a tire blew out on the highway. He had liability insurance, but it didn’t cover the $100,000+ in losses.
"Really unlucky year and now it's just a daily struggle just to stay alive," he said. "I love God, and I kind of wonder why he's put me through these challenges."
What's next:
Carn is already back out on bond.
She has a hearing coming up on January 20 for the alleged hit-and-run, but also has a hearing on January 7 for allegedly violating her bond in her October arrest.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered by FOX 35's Marie Edinger.