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Glendale hit-and-run driver still on the loose
A Valley veteran who served multiple tours in Afghanistan is lucky to be alive months after surviving a hit-and-run near 51st and Peoria Avenues that was caught on camera. Police need your help because, so far, no arrests have been made. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz reports.
GLENDALE, Ariz. - A Valley veteran who served multiple tours in Afghanistan is lucky to be alive months after surviving a hit-and-run at a Glendale intersection that was caught on camera. Police need your help because, so far, no arrests have been made.
What they're saying:
Curtis Cook turned 43-years-old on Jan. 7. He walked to a nearby Circle K in Glendale to buy a lottery ticket to celebrate.
"My father-in-law, you know, birthday present was here is $5. So if it's your lucky day, go buy a lotto ticket," Cook said.
A traffic camera shows the moments Cook waited for the walk sign and made his way across North 51st Avenue at the intersection with Peoria.
"All I remember was taking one step off the curb to cross the street. You know, at a green light, everything was right for me to cross. Next thing I know, I come to, there's a cop with red hair standing over my head, you know, checking to see if I'm alive," Cook said.
What Cook doesn't remember, the video shows, is what police believe to be a cavalry blue Toyota Tundra turning into the intersection, plowing into Cook, and then driving off. That’s what angers his wife, April, the most.
"It's ridiculous. The whole thing is absolutely ridiculous. I just want somebody to realize if they hit somebody, stop," she said.
April says this did more damage to him than 14 years of military service.
"He's served 14 years. We've been together for a very long time. I went through Afghanistan, I went through all that stuff. He never came home with a scratch. And then he crosses the street here in Arizona and gets hit by a car," she said.
For Cook, it was months of recovery with injuries he will deal with for the rest of his life.
"They had to repair my right eye socket because I got smashed up pretty good. And shortly after I got out of the hospital, I had to have my knee completely refurbished, ACL, meniscus, and the muscle here had to be reattached," Cook said.
But there was one moment that night that restored the couple's faith in humanity: the three good Samaritans who stopped an injured and dazed Cook, who went into "fight or flight" mode as a veteran, from wandering into more oncoming traffic.
"We owe them a big thank you, at least to shake their hand and say thank you, not just for me, but my family," Cook said.
What you can do:
If you have any information, you're asked to call the Glendale Police Department at 602-930-3000.
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April has created a GoFundMe to help raise money for medical bills. You can donate to it by clicking here.
Map of where the collision happened