[nagdu] Driver hits a blind woman and guide dog, then takes off

[Ginger Kutsch]

Driver hits a blind woman and guide dog, then takes off 

Woman fell to the ground after being hit and almost into oncoming traffic 

Lauren Pozen, KSPR News Reporter; Jonathan Wahl, KSPR News Photographer

lpozen at kspr.com

4:44 PM CDT, September 4, 2013

 

SPRINGFIELD,MO -A blind woman in Springfield wants the man who hit her and
her guide dog with his car to come forward.

 

"She's my eyes and is very loyal to me. If it hadn't been for her, I don't
know what would have happened," says Kathy Marburger speaking about her
guide dog Zena. 

 

Marburger was born blind. Zena's skill was tested Tuesday afternoon. She and
Zena were walking to a bus stop on Battlefield when it happened. 

 

"I walked out of Cashew Station and was heading west on Battlefield. We were
walking up the sidewalk and there was a car sitting at the driveway waiting
to pull out," she says. 

 

While Zena saw the car, the driver didn't see them. 

 

"The car rode into me, knocked me down and knocked Zena down. Somehow my
body turned and it went on the sidewalk instead of in Battlefield," says
Marburger. 

 

She says the driver stopped for a moment and then left. 

 

"I said are you having a problem driving? Are you blind? What happened? The
guy wouldn't tell me what the car looked like and wouldn't tell me the plate
or anything," says Marburger.

 

She went to the hospital for treatment. Marburger says her knee is very sore
after falling down when the car hit her. Zena wasn't hurt.

 

Hit-and-run and leaving the scene of an accident are both crimes in
Missouri. 

 

"You are leaving a victim with potential injuries. You are just messing with
their livelihood," says Springfield police spokesperson Lisa Cox. 

 

Police say you could be a potential witness to crimes like this and are
urging everyone to be on the lookout. 

 

"We depended on wittiness and any surveillance footage to catch the person,
because it's very difficult without a license plate. It's really hard to
catch the person," Cox says. 

 

Marburger says she will press charges if the driver is found. 

 

"He needs to go to driving school and learn how to pay attention," she says.

 

There are businesses in the area where Marburger was hit. Police will
interview employees at those stores to see if they know anything. 

 

Springfield police say if you have any information about the driver who hit
Marburger, call 417-864-1810.