‘Come forward and admit your faults’: Family of woman killed in hit-and-run pleading for justice
EVERETT, Wash. - A local family wants justice for their beloved aunt, Patricia Oman, who died following a hit-and-run.
Police say the driver stopped, got out of their car but didn’t render aid instead driving off and leaving her on the side of the road in critical condition.
It’s been one month since Oman was struck. Her family wants the community’s help tracking down the driver who hit and killed her on Aug. 15.
The incident was reported around 6:30 p.m. on the 5400 block of Broadway.
Patti, as her loved one called her, has lived in the Lowell neighborhood for more than 30 years.
She was walking back home from the D & J’s EZ Mart around 6:30 p.m., a trek she made daily for coffee and snacks.
Her family says she was more than halfway home, a 20-minute walk after buying lottery tickets.
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At the age of 80, Oman was still a very independent and active woman.
She knew to walk against traffic, so drivers could spot her.
Oman was hit just a few blocks away from her home, according to her great niece Sarah Storm.
"Every moment that we were hoping to have with her at her old age just feels robbed from us, from her sister, from her nieces and nephews," Storm said.
Witnesses called 911 after Patti was left in critical condition across the street.
She was rushed to the hospital.
"We did have some time to say goodbye, but she wasn't aware or conscious," Storm said. "So we took the time that we had with her before she passed but it was a very jarring week, it’s very jarring still."
An abrupt loss, the family is still coping with it.
Police are actively looking for the driver who failed to stop and render aid.
They released images of a suspect described as a white woman between 40 to 55-years-old with dirty blonde hair driving a silver SUV, possibly a Ford Escape, with a partial license plate of BSW4.
Oman’s family is pleading with the person responsible to turn themselves in.
"You may not have meant to but you still need to be accountable for your actions and face consequences," Storm said. "Come forward and admit your faults, it would bring peace to our family and not draw the loss of our aunt out."
The community is urged to keep an eye out for an SUV with damage to the front of the passenger's side near the bumper and a broken headlight and or turn signal.
Anyone with information is asked to call Everett Police Department at 425-257-8450.
The family is now planning a memorial service for Oman as they hold on to the memories she left behind.
"She loved to travel, loved to just have an adventure to always ask what's next? What's new?" Storm recalls.
A role model Storm was robbed of when the driver failed to stop and help, moments, she says she looked forward to making countless memories after recently moving back from the east coast.
"For someone to not give my aunt that same kindness, compassion is really like cutting me and my family really," Storm said.
The family’s next step is to ensure tragedies like this one don’t happen again.
Their goal is to make Broadway more walkable in honor of Oman.