Deputies are still searching for the driver of a hit-and-run that left a local teacher with serious injuries.
Sarah Carnello is a teacher and softball coach at Ruckel Middle School.
She was hit by a car on October 14 and suffered serious road rash and head injuries. her jaw is now wired shut.
The community is raising money to help with her medical bills.
Carnello is exemplifying a forgiving nature that is almost unheard of. She has always been known for empowering others.
As a teacher and softball coach, she works daily to be a strong role model for kids.
She says this accident is just another way to do that.
“I plan to lead by example and show the kids that I don’t need to know anymore about the accident, ” Carnello said. “I just need to live and drive for a better tomorrow for myself but more importantly for them.”
WEAR News had a conversation with Carnello through text due to her jaw being wired shut preventing her from talking.
Carnello was walking her bike home with her dog when she was hit by a car.
The driver has still not been found.
“I remember walking my bike down a darker stretch of Bluewater Boulevard between the tennis center and the clubhouse,” Carnello said. “I’ve walked there a hundred times before, but it was dark. I know there were headlights but what kind? Truck? Car? Golf cart?,I stopped trying to make a memory of what I don’t have,” she added.
She suffered a concussion, severe road rash, and a broken and dislocated jaw.
“The next thing I remember is being in the ICU,” Carnello said. ” I don’t remember the ride or how I got there, I don’t remember anything. I was in pain, but I tried to hold it in. I wouldn’t be coach Sarah if I didn’t power on the best I could.”
Since the accident, Carnello says the community has rallied behind her in ways she couldn’t have imagined.
They’ve raised more than 15 thousand dollars to help pay for her medical bills.
“That has impacted my family in a way that leaves me with a reverence I can’t describe,” Carnello said. “The initial discussions about finances and the tens of thousands it will cost are completely unattainable.”
“Am I terrified? Yes, but I can’t let that control me,” she added. “I have too many good people and growing adults around me that need me to show them what they are capable of. Life isn’t over, it’s just a bit bumpier right now.”
As the search for the driver who hit her continues, Carnello says she already forgives them.
“I can continue to pray for whoever is dealing with what they did to me,” Carnello said.
The Florida Highway Patrol says they are still searching for the driver.
Legal Support for Hit-and-Run Victims
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Source: weartv
