Woman injured in Southwest Detroit hit-and-run speaks about incident

Shaina Sarnowski released from hospital

DETROIT – The woman who was seen being run over Sunday is out of the hospital, and she spoke to Local 4 about the hit-and-run crash.

Shaina Sarnowski, 23, was dropped off by a family friend at the Detroit VFW where she volunteers.

Two women in a green Ford Escort had followed her from the convenience store.

"It didn't make sense to me," Sarnowski said. "I've never had people follow me like that and do such horrible things."

The driver yelled more insults and threw a cup of coffee at Sarnowski and drove off, police said. But they didn't go far.

Sarnowski said she wasn't looking for a fight.

"I wasn't yelling," Sarnowski said. "I was just more or less throwing my hands up, like, 'What's wrong with you?' I wasn't yelling, like, calling her out or a name or anything."

The driver paused briefly, then hit the gas and ran Sarnowski down, police said.

"I hit the top hood of her car, or windshield, and then I fell back down," Sarnowski said. "As I fell back down, I would think she would stop then, but she just drove right over my head. Honestly, the whole time when I was just rolling under the car, I just thought, you know, 'Stay alive.'"

She underwent two hours of surgery Sunday night to close a deep gash in the side of her head and wounds to her arms, back and face, officials said. She wants the people who hit her to be caught.

"I'm not going to stoop to your level," Sarnowski said. "I just want to know, what was that for? She obviously didn't want to answer me, so she ran me over."

The head injury was the most serious, and it required two hours of surgery. Special surgeons were brought in for the operation. She faces a long road to recovery, but she's doing better.

Detroit police said they believe the car was a green 1997 Ford Escort with damage to the front end.


About the Authors:

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.