MADISON COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Jimmy Cornelison has seen enough of these over the years to know exactly what happened.
"I know the person knows they hit something or somebody. There's no doubt in my mind about that," said the long-time coroner for Madison County. "So you ask the question, 'Why wouldn’t you stop?' I don't know."
Cornelison got the call around 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday. 19-year-old Thomas R. Boshears, of Berea, had jumped off his motorbike to check on a mechanical problem on a dark, narrow section of Battlefield Memorial Highway in Berea. Boshears was struck and killed by an oncoming vehicle. That car’s driver never stopped to render aid, or call for assistance.
"If they were to come forward now, you could almost overlook them leaving the scene," Cornelison said. "'Look, I got scared, but here I am,'" he said, describing what might serve as a suitable explanation by the driver.
There are many reasons why a driver might flee the scene after hitting another person. Cornelison said fear and panic are two of them, but it could run deeper than that.
"If you don't have a license, or there's a warrant for you," he said.
The investigation, which is now being handled by the Madison County Sheriff, is underway but they’re working with a limited amount of evidence. Surveillance video from a nearby convenience store is considered a long shot at best given the time of day when the accident occurred.
"It'll be tough. But I just hope someone comes forward. It's okay. It's why they’re called 'accidents,'" Cornelison said.
Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to contact the Madison County Sheriff's Office at (859) 623-1511 or by contacting Madison County 911 at (859) 624-4776.
