HIT AND RUN DRIVER TOPPLES LIGHT POLE IN DOWNTOWN BETHESDA (PHOTO)

UPDATE:

A reader, emailed this photo of the aftermath of a one-vehicle hit-and-run accident in downtown Bethesda.

The reader said he heard a vehicle strike this pole on northbound Wisconsin Avenue at Rosedale around 1:30 AM this morning. That vehicle then reportedly fled the scene. The reader never saw the vehicle, nor which direction it fled.  He only saw the resulting fallen light pole, pictured above in his photo. Seeing the pole dangerously in the roadway, the reader and another person placed barrels to warn oncoming drivers.

If anyone witnessed this accident, I urge you to contact Montgomery County Police right away. Clearly, this was costly damage to public property, and the driver would be prosecuted. Perhaps the vehicle and/or incident were recorded by nearby traffic cameras?

BETHESDA HIT-AND-RUN UPDATE: VICTIM'S FAMILY SPEAKS - EXCLUSIVE!

"WE'RE VERY KEEN

TO CATCH

THE VILLAIN"

POLICE NOW AWARE OF

POTENTIAL SPEED

CAMERA EVIDENCE

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

The driver who fled the scene of Friday morning's collision with a cyclist on Massachusetts Avenue is still at large.  Meanwhile, the victim's husband is asking the community to help find the culprit who left his wife "bleeding and unconscious in the road."

Tom Skinner has posted a message on a community message group, asking fellow citizens to spread the description of the suspect's minivan among neighbors, and on any local listservs they subscribe to.

That minivan - late model, dark blue, and with passenger-side damage - was last seen speeding towards the District on Massachusetts around 10:30 AM Friday, August 24.

Skinner's account of Jodi Grant's injuries suggests they are more serious than the public was made aware of Friday.   Grant will require several surgeries, and has neck and back fractures.  She is expected to eventually make a full recovery, however.

When I heard about this incident Friday, I immediately thought of the portable speed camera that is located just south of the crash site, near Massachusetts and Cromwell Drive.  If the minivan had been speeding away from the scene, the camera should have a clear photo of the tag.  I contacted the police, and yesterday received word that my tip was passed on to the investigating officers.

Hopefully, the camera got it, but if the minivan had not accelerated to 47 MPH by that point, there won't be a picture.

This is a terrible situation all around.  Accidents can happen to anyone, but to flee the scene with someone in the roadway is unconscionable.

Pass on the minivan description - vague as it is - and let's hope someone happened to witness this, or knows some helpful information to break the case.

If you contact police, the case number is #12041932.