Joliet police seek information in two hit-and-runs
By BRIAN STANLEY bstanley@stmedianetwork.com December 14, 2012 8:40PM
Updated: January 17, 2013 6:35AM
Joliet police are seeking witnesses to a hit-and-run crash that seriously injured a Crest Hill woman on Dec. 3.
Around 6 a.m. Rochelle Graham was driving to her part-time job on Black Road. As Graham approached Rosary Lane, an eastbound car turned right in front of her westbound Buick Century.
“I tried my hardest to stop, but ended up hitting the rear right side,” Graham said. According to reports, Graham suffered serious facial and head injuries. The other driver, a young woman, came over to Graham’s window to ask if she was all right.
“I said, ‘No! I need an ambulance,’” Graham said. “She said, ‘I’m sorry,’ and got back into her car. I though she was moving it out of the street, but she looked around and drove away.”
Police describe the vehicle as a gray midsize car made between 1995 and 2000 and the driver as a white woman in her early 20s with a thin build and blond or light brown hair.
Graham was hospitalized for four days, and her car was towed away. She does not have automotive insurance.
“I’d just saved up enough to buy the car and get it roadworthy. I’d had tires put on the day before,” she said. “Now it’s undriveable, and I’m being charged for the tow and storage.”
Graham said she hasn’t been able to see her doctor about her injuries because her transportation is now limited since she can’t afford to replace her car.
“It’s been rough,” she said. “I’m at the mercy of asking for rides to get anywhere, and I haven’t been back to work yet.”
Police are also still investigating a hit-and-run accident that killed a 68-year-old Joliet man.
At 6:45 a.m. Dec. 1, Luis and Carmen Valladolid were walking their dog on William Street near Curtis Avenue in Joliet when a car turned into the wrong lane from the intersection and struck them from behind.
Carmen Valladolid sprained her ankle and was scraped up, but her husband suffered massive head trauma and died two days later.
The driver of the gray or silver car was described as a 30-year-old black man with a thin build and gold teeth.
Anyone with information in either incident is asked to call police at 815-724-3010 or anonymously call CrimeStoppers at 800-323-6734.
