BATH TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A photograph taken in an Akron hospital shows a long row of stitches on the back of Diego Merritt's head, but it doesn't capture the pain he has been experiencing after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver in Bath Township.
His wife, Amy Settie, said Merritt now has rods and screws in his neck, a broken leg, and he suffered a ministroke after the incident that Settie struggles to comprehend.
"I don't know how their conscience is dealing with it. As a human being, my conscience wouldn't be clear. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night, Settie said.
It was dark around 6:45 a.m. as Merritt walked the couple's 9-year-old son, Solomon, along Cleveland-Massillon Road towards his daycare building.
They were heading north on the side of the road when a southbound dark-colored SUV or truck approached.
"When he saw a car approaching him at a high rate of speed, he turned and pushed his 9-year-old son out of the way," said Bath Township Police Captain Steve Brown.
However, Meritt was struck by the vehicle, knocked to the ground and seriously injured.
Despite the terrifying ordeal, Solomon reacted quickly, grabbed his dad's phone and dialed 911. The operator was able to track the phone's location and send officers.
"He was super brave. He used the phone. He called 911. He did what we taught him to do," Settie said.
The driver didn't stop to call for help or render aid. Instead, he or she fled the scene, leaving the injured man and his child in the roadway.
It's the kind of behavior that baffles Brown.
"It all goes back to doing the right thing. If you're involved in an accident, stop," he said.
A week later, police have very little to go on as the search for the hit-skip driver continues.
"We have no leads on it whatsoever at this point because the description was kind of vague," Brown said.
Settie said it's common for her husband to walk Solomon to daycare even though there are not sidewalks. Brown said there have been ongoing discussions about adding sidewalks to parts of Cleveland-Massillon Road, although not in the section where Merritt was struck.
Settie believes Solomon was also grazed by the car, but he didn't suffer any injuries. As for Merritt, his recovery will include a lot of physical therapy.
"He's starting to stand with some assistance, but other than that, it's gonna be a long road to recovery," she said.
Summit County Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the driver.
Settie is pleading with anyone who knows the truth to speak up.
"If anybody knows anything, come forward, just be honest about what happened."
Tipsters should call Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-434-COPS or Bath Township Police at 330-666-3736.
