GEISMAR — Ascension Parish deputies continue searching for a driver who’s wanted in a hit-and-run that left a young woman seriously injured.
The incident happened around 9 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15 when a vehicle hit a 22-year-old woman, Makayla Hopkins, standing at the end of her driveway on Dutchtown Lane. The driver of the vehicle then fled the scene, going toward Highway 74, according to the sheriff’s office.
Hopkins was seriously injured and is now recovering at a hospital. Her family has started a GoFundMe for the medical expenses and shared their story with UWK.
Since then, the vehicle involved in the crash has been found and collected, according to officials. The sheriff’s office is now asking for the public’s help in identifying the person driving at the time of the crash. Officials have provided a photo of the vehicle and driver from the night of the hit and run.
Jody’s Law
Holly Crow, the mother of a fatal hit-and-run crash victim in Livingston Parish, who worked hard to create Jody’s Law, said that the new law puts out an alert for all hit-and-run crashes. She believes her daughter would be proud to help other victims, even though Crow added that “It’s very heartbreaking that it had to happen. My hope is that nobody would ever need to use it because that means it would never happen again.”
This incident in Ascension Parish would have been one of the first times that Jody’s Law would be used.
“It’s imperative to have that alert, because then all law enforcement are aware of it, and they’re all looking instead of just Ascension Parish looking for somebody who might not even be in that parish anymore,” Crow told UWK.
It’s unclear at this time whether the alert was put out in this instance. UWK has reached out to officials for clarification.
Anyone who recognizes the person pictured or has information that could help identify the driver is urged to contact the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office anonymously at (225) 621-4636, by texting 847411 from any cellular device, or by contacting Capital Region Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-STOP (7867). You must call Capital Region Crime Stoppers to be eligible for a cash reward.
This is an active investigation, and details are limited at this time.
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