LOGAN SQUARE — Police are searching for a driver who hit Richard Pallardy while he was walking home last week and then drove off.
Around 9 p.m. Feb. 10, Pallardy was walking home from an evening swim at the Kosciuszko Park pool when a dark-colored car struck him and "sent him flying" at Kimball and Wrightwood avenues, according to Pallardy and police.
Pallardy said he had the right of way, and the driver was turning left onto Wrightwood from Kimball when he hit him.
"I remember rolling off the hood, hitting the ground, and the car just took off," said Pallardy, who has lived at Kedzie and Lyndale avenues for about eight years.
He was taken to St. Mary Hospital, where he was treated for a broken nose and cheekbone, as well as minor cuts and bruises.
Days later, Pallardy is dealing with mounting medical bills that he said he can't afford as a freelance writer with a basic insurance plan. All told, he said the crash could cost him upward of $4,000.
Beyond the financial strain, Pallardy said he's frustrated by the slow pace of the police investigation, which he described as bureaucratic. Police didn't offer a comment except to say the crash is under investigation by the major accidents investigations unit. There is no known surveillance video footage of the crash, Pallardy said.
While Pallardy said he's lucky he wasn't more badly injured, he said he's worried about other residents in the surrounding area, which sees drivers "constantly" blowing stop signs and ignoring other safety regulations.
"There are a lot of families, a lot of elderly people here. I'm a pretty young, healthy guy, and I can shake it off, but if it had happened to someone else, it might not have been as rosy of an outcome," he said.
Now he's calling for 35th Ward Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, whose ward includes the hit-and-run site, to bring better traffic enforcement to the area.
Ramirez-Rosa's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment early Friday.
"Even if I'm not able to find the person, and I'm stuck with major medical bills, it'll at least prevent anyone else from getting hit," Pallardy said.
