LORAIN, Ohio — The family of a Lorain grandmother hopes a new incentive will help them find answers about a hit-and-run crash on Christmas day.
“I’m still a little angry, but I just want to find out what happened. If it was literally an accident or something, I just want to figure it out. I just want to know what happened, that’s it,” Moises Carreras said.
New Year’s Day marked his second holiday in a week spent at MetroHealth Medical Center.
“I’d rather spend it in the hospital than burying my grandmother. I’d rather come here and see her,” Carreras said.
Last week, on Dec. 26, 2024, his grandmother, Edna Acosta, was crossing Tower Blvd in Lorain from her apartment to her brother’s apartment for Christmas dinner when she was hit by a car.
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Acosta’s injuries required emergency surgery to amputate one leg.
“She just hates that something got taken from her. It wasn’t a health issue or something. She hates it got [taken],” Carreras said.
Police are still looking for the driver who took off. Investigators said crash debris at the scene suggests the vehicle involved could be a silver or gray Ford pickup.
“I was hoping that they catch this guy before the New Year so he wouldn’t be out driving again and hurt somebody else,” her grandson said.
Carreras said Acosta should be released from the hospital in the coming days but will likely need months of rehabilitation. The family is grateful for his progress but wants clarity about what happened that night.
“We feel like she just got left. And that’s just the biggest thing,” said Carreras. “I’ve been thinking about so many different things and I hope that just wasn’t the case.”
The grandson is now offering $500 of his own money as a reward for information in the case.
He said relevant tips have been slow so far, but the community has been quick to lend support.
“She doesn’t even realize how much people are here to support her right now,” he said.
By Wednesday afternoon, an online fundraiser had collected nearly $2,700. Carreras explained others have provided gifts and kind words.
“A lot of people are dropping off teddy bears, cards, donations,” he said.
The family is appreciative of the generosity and is grateful for Acosta’s recovery so far.
“Grandparents, they’re always like the glue of everything. My grandma’s the only one I have left, so we need her for as long as we can,” Carreras said. “I just thank God that she’s here.”
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Lorain Police Department Traffic Bureau at 44-204-2115 or email Officer Brian Andreas. Brian_Andreas@cityoflorain.org.
