APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – Appleton Police have made an arrest in a car versus pedestrian hit and run last Friday that put a 21-year-old Lawrence University student in the hospital.
The woman was hit while walking through the intersection at College Avenue & Lawe Street.
Police received tips after posting the video of the crash and photos of the vehicle. The video clearly showed the woman being hit, the vehicle pulling over for a moment and then speeding off.
“I think this is one of those prime examples of how technology really aides us in law enforcement, coupled with the use of social media,” says Sargeant Dave Lund with the Appleton Police Department.
The information that came in led to the arrest of 43 year James Hutcherson.
“We received a tip that was right on the money,” says Sargeant Lund.
He says he’s amazed by how technological advancements and wide-spread social media usage has created improvements in his field, just in the span of his career.
“I started back in 1990,” he explains. “If this incident had occurred in 1990 it would have probably been inactivated in a fairly short period of time.”
Investigators are requesting a charge of Hit and Run-Causing Great Bodily Harm against the Appleton man.
Hutcherson is expected to make an initial court appearance today.
The woman who was hit suffered a serious head injury and was in the hospital for several days. She was released from the hospital earlier this week.
Sargeant Lund reminds both motorists and pedestrians that crosswalk safety is a two-way street.
‘It’s really incumbent on all people involved in things on the roadway to be attentive to what they’re doing,” he explains.
