Officials say a woman, who was intoxicated, fully ran over a pedestrian with her car, leaving him hospitalized with injuries, before fleeing the scene in Waukegan.
The Waukegan Fire Department and Waukegan Police Department responded around 10 p.m. on November 23 to Quick Stop Food and Liquor, 625 West Greenwood Avenue, for a report of a crash involving a pedestrian.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth Cannon said officers arrived and found the injured victim.
He was conscious and breathing but had tire marks on his face and a bloody hand. The victim was bleeding heavily.
The victim reported he remembered exiting the liquor store and then was suddenly under a car, Cannon said.
A store employee provided the license plate of the hit-and-run vehicle to police.
Cannon said surveillance video showed the vehicle run the victim over and then the driver getting out of the car before fleeing the scene.
The victim was “completely run over” by the car. He was transported to the hospital.
His exact condition was unknown and officers were informed the next day that the victim was “not doing great” and not aware of what was going on, Cannon said.
Officers located the driver, Diana Serna, 67, of Waukegan, who admitted she ran the man over.
Serna said that the victim told her “You didn’t see me” and she responded to him with the same, Cannon said.
Serna told officers she stopped because she felt a bump and helped the victim up but left because she was scared, Cannon said.
Cannon said the woman admitted to drinking three beers and officers observed her to have slurred speech and an odor of alcohol emitting from her.
Serna performed field sobriety tests and numerous clues of impairment were noted, Cannon said. A breath sample showed her with a 0.117, which is over the legal limit.
Serna was charged with aggravated driving under the influence causing a crash involving bodily harm, failure to report a crash involving injury and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Cannon argued Serna poses a real and present threat to the community and asked she be detained pending trial.
Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted a petition to detain Serna pending trial, which was filed by the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.
The judge said during a detention hearing that Serna poses a danger to the community and that no conditions of release could mitigate the threat.
Serna, who remains held in the Lake County Jail, is set to appear in court again on December 11 for an arraignment hearing.