PITTSBURGH — A man is in the hospital fighting for his life with multiple skull fractures and brain bleeds after a hit and run.
Ethan Cardone and his dog, Clair, were struck by an SUV while walking on Bailey Avenue on Mt. Washington late Saturday night. Police say a black, 2009, Lexus RX350 struck the two, killing Clair.
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Pittsburgh Police say the Lexus involved in the crash was found Sunday afternoon and it was towed away as part of the investigation. It’s not clear who was driving the SUV or if that person will face charges.
Derrick Clark just happened to be on Mt. Washington Saturday night. He says it was a last-minute decision and one that would change his life.
“As I’m in the vehicle grabbing something out of it, I hear a loud boom,” Clark said. “So I turn around and I see a car flying up the street.”
Clark says that boom was followed by the shattering of glass and car parts being thrown across the pavement.
“I noticed a dog in the middle of the street and as I’m tending to the dog, some lady taps me and says look over there,” Clark recalls. “Underneath of a parked car, half of a guy’s body was laying there.”
The victim wasn’t breathing, so Clark and a woman pulled him out from under the parked car.
“I’m trying to shake him, doing everything I can to get him to say something,” Clark continued.
He started CPR and with some persistence, they got a faint pulse, which grew stronger with each compression.
“Then you hear that gasp - like someone is coming back to life,” Clark said.
Clark later learned the victim was Ethan Cardone and his loyal companion, Clair.
Pittsburgh police say a black, 2009, Lexus RX350 took off after striking Cardone and Clair. It was found Sunday afternoon and towed away as part of the police investigation. There is no word on who was driving or if that person will be charged.
Clark wanted to share this message with Ethan.
“If I can ever meet you again, I’d like to shake your hand and see that you’re alright,” Clark said. “And to anyone out there, learn CPR - you never know when it will come in handy. Sometimes it’s seconds or minutes that can make a difference.”
The City says in the upcoming weeks, the Vision Zero Fatal Crash response team will visit this area and look into potential factors that caused this crash.
Neighbors say speed bumps need to be put at the bottom of the Baikey Avenue to slow down drivers.
“I’m out here every day and they be flying,” Carl Tarrant said. “They think it’s like an Indianapolis 500.”
“It’s really sad and I hope there can be some change to this and people think more about their neighbors.” Christine Ojala added.
Family members set up a fundraiser to help with Cardone’s medical bills. Click here if you’d like to donate.
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