Alabama man fighting for his life after being struck in a hit-and-run; family wants answers
By Ashlyn Mitchell
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PRICHARD, Alabama (WALA) — A close-knit family in Prichard is still in disbelief after discovering their loved one, 53-year-old Kelvin Thornton, fighting for his life in the ICU.
On Tuesday, a friend told the family that Thornton was in the hospital.
When Rosie Thornton- the victim’s mother- arrived, she learned her son had been struck by a vehicle. Since then, she says Thornton remains in a coma with a plethora of broken bones and other major injuries.
“I didn’t hear from the hospital, I didn’t hear from the police, nothing and we still haven’t heard from the police,” said Rosie.
“It’s heartbreaking. And for someone to leave him on the side of the road like that, you don’t do a dog like that,” added one family member.
“He got head injuries, trauma to the head, he was in a coma when we got there, and we have no answers,” said another.
The family says they’ve felt left in the dark.
“Why was it Tuesday that the family was notified when he was taken to the hospital Saturday, probably early Sunday morning?” questioned one family member.
“We haven’t gotten answers from anybody. We want them from the top, down to the bottom so his mother can be at peace,” said another.
After speaking to the family, we talked to Prichard Police.
Lieutenant Robert Martin confirmed a man was struck in a hit-and-run on September 10.
“Probably around about between 10:30 and 11 o’clock pm where this victim was on Highway 45, possibly attempting to cross the roadway,” explained Lt. Martin.
“I don’t think we had any family information at that time to contact anybody and being that he was in the hospital and condition he was in- we had no knowledge of trying to contact somebody,” he added.
Lt. Martin says the hit-and-run happened at the intersection of Janie Avenue and Highway 45 near the Shell Gas Station.
Police are now looking for the suspect in what they believe is a 2015-2019 Nissan Titan truck. The color of the vehicle is still unknown.
“We’re still waiting to gather more information from video surveillance in that area,” said Lt. Martin.
We relayed that information to Thornton’s family.
“We are relieved to hear this information it’s just the fact that no one in the family was notified and when they called to get answers, the answers were not given to us,” said one family member.
‘I’m glad to know something that happened, what took place,” added Rosie.
Thornton has coached little league baseball at Leflore High School for years. He’s affectionately known as “Too-Short” in the community.
If you have any information on what might’ve happened in the hit-and-run, call the Prichard Police Department.
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