CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — Jarrett Suydam, the victim of a hit-and-run crash in Inverness on March 10 that left him critically injured, is on the mend, but could be in the hospital for up to a year.
- Suydam suffered broken pelvis, broken ribs, other injuries
- Woman who struck Suydam arrested
- Want to help? Donate to GoFundMe campaign for Suydam, wife Samantha
- More Citrus County stories
Suydam has a long road of recovery ahead of him, but he's in good spirits. He said the support from the community is making it easier to fight through the pain.
“I have no plan to give up. I want to get out of this bed as fast as I can, and I’m going to do whatever I can to get there," Suydam said. "And everything everyone has done for me so far, just as much as saying 'hello,' it just helps emotionally that much more to know that you have people there."
On Sunday, March 10, Suydam was walking home from work on Washington Avenue near Old Floral City Road in Inverness when a truck hit him.
He had emergency surgery to stop internal bleeding and still has a broken pelvis, broken ribs, and no feeling in his left leg, along with other major injuries. He has since undergone several other surgeries and has many more ahead of him.
His wife Samantha says it’s a miracle he’s alive.
“I have this fear that if I leave something bad is going to happen," she told us. "I just don’t want to leave.”
Samantha has been by Suydam’s side at the hospital for the entire duration of his stay so far.
“This is obviously the worst thing we’ve ever been through," she said." We were in the middle of getting our lives together. We just bought a car, we were in the middle of trying to buy a house and everything, so everything kind of came to a halt.”
However, she said the support from the community has been overwhelming and is giving them strength to move forward.
“It’s amazing to know there’s people that care, even people who have never met us," Samantha explained. "It really is it helps us through a lot."
“I would never ever try to tell someone that I understand what it feels like to be in a hospital bed. This has been the most excruciating experience I’ve ever been in in my life," Jarrett told us. "And when you go to the doctor and they ask you what your pain level on a scale of 10 out of 10, I found new 10s."
65-year-old Elizabeth McKee from Floral City has been arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a crash with injuries. According to the arrest report she told investigators she thought she hit a deer.
Jarrett’s sister has set up a Go Fund Me account to help with his recovery. To learn more or to help with a donation, visit https://www.gofundme.com/hit-and-run-victum-jarrett-suydam.
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