A tragic hit-and-run in north Phoenix claimed the life of a woman on Saturday night. Amy Frances Smith, 47, was pronounced dead at the scene after being struck by a vehicle while crossing the street. The incident occurred near Thunderbird Road and 23rd Avenue, east of Interstate 17, as reported by AZFamily.com.
Witness Mike Nunez, who was with Smith at the time, recounted the harrowing moment to AZFamily.com. "We were crossing the street and the car just came racing towards us and hit her. She was a little bit slow getting her bike up on the curve but there was nothing I could do. I tried to warn her to turn around but the car had already hit her," he said. Nunez described Smith as a shy, caring woman who would always help others.
Shortly after 10 p.m., the Phoenix Police Department responded to the crash at Thunderbird Road near 19th Avenue, where they found Smith with severe injuries. Details obtained by ABC15 indicate that the suspect vehicle was heading west on Thunderbird Road when it struck Smith.
Nunez expressed his concern about the safety of the area, telling AZFamily.com, "Just this area is so dark. Maybe a bright light could maybe help something, but other than that, we've had a lot of accidents here in the past year." The driver involved in the collision has not been identified, and authorities have yet to release any information regarding a suspect or vehicle description. The investigation has inevitably continued into this tragedy.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to come forward as the police seek to piece together the circumstances of Smith's death. The hit-and-run crash remains under active investigation by the Phoenix police.
