‘Somebody has to know something’: Police clear hit-and-run suspect as victim remains in ICU
By Hannah Mackenzie
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ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — A person of interest in an Asheville hit-and-run that left a man in critical condition has been cleared, sending investigators back to square one.
According to Asheville Police Department, on April 6, 2022, a 39-year-old man was transported to Mission Hospital in critical condition after his moped was hit by the driver of a pick-up truck near the intersection of Long Shoals Road and C P & L drive.
The driver of the truck fled the scene, but APD Senior Officer Jonathan Derrick said witnesses were able to get a description of the vehicle.
“The vehicle is an older-model, four-door pickup truck,” Derrick said. “It’s possibly two-toned, burgundy or maroon on the top with maybe grey on the bottom of the truck.”
Asheville police initially released surveillance photos of a truck matching that description – along with its driver. They have since exonerated that suspect, but according to a press release, the description of the suspect vehicle remains the same.
Family of the hit-and-run victim have identified him as Court Maggard. Maggard’s father, Wendell Maggard, drove in from Kentucky on Easter Sunday, April 17, to be by his son’s side.
Court Maggard, a father of two, was initially on life support but was able to be taken off that intervention on Wednesday, April 13 — an entire week after the hit-and-run. Still, he has a long road ahead of him when it comes to his recovery.
“They had to take half of his pancreas out and his spleen completely,” Wendell Maggard said. “His hip is completely busted up, his right leg is busted up from top to bottom, had a small brain bleed which has kind of healed itself, they think.”
This is Maggard’s second stint at his son’s bedside. He told us he was thrilled to hear his son’s condition appears to be improving from last week.
“They say he’s really talking good today,” Maggard said. “And that’s great!”
The elder Maggard’s attention is split, though. He’s focused on his son’s recovery while simultaneously wondering about the search for the person responsible for putting him in intensive care.
“Somebody’s out there that did this and they need to get him off the road. He could do it to somebody else,” Maggard said. “I’d like for him to give himself up, but if not, I hope we can catch him. From what [officers] told me, he ran over the vehicle after he hit Court. There has to be some damage; somebody has to know something.”
If you have any information about the hit-and-run, you’re asked to contact the Asheville Police Department at 828-252-1110.
You can contact the Asheville Police Department anonymously via the tip line by texting TIP2APD to 847411 (TIP411) or use the TIP2APD smartphone app.
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