PORTLAND, Maine — Knox County sheriffs deputies are searching for the driver of a car that hit and seriously injured a teenage girl.
16-year-old Emily Miller was jogging Monday morning when police say she was hit by a vehicle and left on the side of the road.
Emily is in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center with serious injuries.
According to her family her pelvis shattered, as was one of her ankles and she also suffered a wrist fracture.
Emily was jogging along West Washington Rd, that's route 206 in Washington, Monday morning, when police believe she was hit by a vehicle.
Emily was found about 9:15 Monday morning, unresponsive, by a man who had driven past her -- thinking she was a log on the side of the road -- but then stopped and went back to take a second look.
Knox County Sheriffs deputies say it's likely whoever hit Emily is familiar with this road.
It's why this morning deputies conducted a checkpoint in the area to talk to people who regularly use Rt 206 and may know or have seen something.
Emily's mom Julie Hilt describes her as a beautiful, compassionate young lady.
Hilt says her daughter is a dancer, loves to hike and bike, but that her injuries will prevent her from doing any of these things for the foreseeable future.
Scott Miller, Emily‘s dad, says the only thing his daughter remembers about the incident is stopping to take a picture and the man who found her on the side of the road.
“We got lucky he (the driver) found her when he did. There was six minutes between the time my daughter was taking a picture of a caterpillar and him calling.”
The family is urging whoever hit Emily to come forward to call police. Miller says when he thinks about what happened “ I go numb. I can’t handle it.”
Emily‘s mom says “Your world stops knowing someone can just hit somebody and just leave them...I understand accidents happen, accidents happen to everyone you don't leave them you go find help."
Glen Hilt, Emily’s stepdad, says since the incident he has been doing some research.
“Annually there is over 700,000 hit-and-run’s in America, that leads to 135,000 injuries. This is unacceptable. People aren’t a bag of trash you leave on the side of the road. You hit something stop.”
Emily’s mom says her daughter has an extremely long road of recovery ahead of he and her injuries will effect for the rest of her life. A Go Fund Me has been set up to help the family with medical expenses.