A 60-year-old pedestrian was left in critical condition Thursday night after a driver struck them near 22nd Street, Auer Avenue, and Hopkins Street in Milwaukee and fled the scene, according to police. The victim was walking across the street when a westbound vehicle hit them, and officers are still searching for the driver responsible.
WISN reported that one person was taken to a hospital after being reportedly struck by a vehicle Thursday. A subsequent update from police clarified that the victim was actually a 60-year-old pedestrian critically injured in the hit-and-run, according to WISN 12 News. As of 10 p.m. Thursday, Milwaukee police had not said whether the driver stayed on scene at any point or disclosed further details on the search for the vehicle involved.
Responders took the victim to a hospital, though the available report does not identify which hospital. The hospital's trauma-center status and annual patient volume were not identified in the available reports. The station's report did not provide the victim's condition beyond the initial critical designation as of Thursday night.
A Corridor With a History of Violence
This is not the first serious vehicle incident at this specific intersection cluster. In July 2024, Milwaukee police investigated a case near Auer Avenue and Hopkins Street in which a suspect intentionally used a vehicle to strike a 28-year-old pedestrian, according to FOX6 Milwaukee. Years earlier, in December 2019, a 62-year-old woman sustained serious injuries when she was struck by a vehicle near 22nd Street and Hopkins Street, FOX6 reported separately. Together, the two prior incidents point to a troubling pattern of vehicle violence concentrated on this stretch of Milwaukee's north side.
Hit-and-Runs Remain a Persistent Problem
The Thursday crash adds to a string of pedestrian hit-and-runs Hoodline has tracked across Milwaukee in recent weeks, including a hit-and-run near 27th and Highland just days earlier.
Citywide, Milwaukee's traffic fatalities dropped 19%, from 70 in 2024 to 57 in 2025, under the city's Vision Zero framework, per data cited by Urban Milwaukee. Even so, serious traffic injuries stayed nearly flat at 330, and city Vision Zero data show that 53% of 2025 traffic deaths occurred on streets designated as part of Milwaukee's High Injury Network, which makes up only about 10% of city streets. Excessive vehicle speed was a factor in 52% of all city traffic fatalities recorded in 2025, according to Department of Public Works evaluation data reported by CBS 58.
What Wisconsin Law Requires of Drivers
Drivers involved in a collision that causes injury generally have a duty to stop, provide identification and vehicle information, and render reasonable assistance. The available reports do not address any pedestrian right-of-way rule in this incident. The available reports also do not discuss potential charges or what details would determine them.
Key questions remain open as the investigation continues. The WISN report does not state whether police had identified the driver or provide further details about the search for the vehicle involved. Hoodline will update this story as police release additional information.
