A transient Sweet Home woman was injured in a hit-and-run Thursday night, and then Friday her pickup truck was apparently stolen and then abandoned and burned on Highway 20 west of Sweet Home.
At 10:08 p.m. on Thursday, Sweet Home police responded to a report that a pedestrian had been struck while crossing south over Main Street, said Police Chief Jeff Lynn. Police located Irma Snyder, 50, and Sweet Home paramedics transported her to Samaritan Regional Medical Center.
Snyder was in the inside westbound lane when she was struck, Lynn said. She was not in a crosswalk, but the area was illuminated by a street light.
Witnesses said she had been hit by a pickup truck, Lynn said. They told police the beat-up truck looked similar to a Chevrolet S10, although they could not identify the make or model. The pickup was either orange or a dull red.
Snyder remained hospitalized on Monday, said her daughter, Mikayla Snyder. “She’s got a lot of surgeries she has to go through. Because she’s homeless, they don’t know what they’re going to do.”
Snyder said her mother does have coverage as part of Cover Oregon.
“There’s a chance if one of the surgeries goes wrong, she might not be able to walk again,” Snyder said. Irma Snyder suffered from broken bones in her left leg and a dislocated knee.
At the hospital, her mother asked her to retrieve her pickup from Sweet Home, Mikayla Snyder said. The pickup had been parked behind the Rio Theater, Mikayla Snyder said. Her mother had it moved around and parked wherever she could.
When Mikayla Snyder went to retrieve the pickup on Friday, it was gone, she said. It was found on Highway 20 west of Sweet Home in the narrows where it had been abandoned and burned.
Firefighters responded to a report of the truck burning in the 27000 block of Highway 20 at 6 a.m. on Friday.
No one was around the vehicle, said Diane Shank, administrative assistant. The right rear window had been broken and a fire burned in the passenger seat.
Mikayla Snyder said the fire destroyed the dash and seats. A stereo, CDs, registration tags and possibly some parts were taken from the vehicle.
Linn County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident as an unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, said Sgt. Flint Lebard.
Anyone with information about the hit-and-run should contact Sweet Home Police Department at (541) 367-5181. Anyone with information about the pickup should contact the Linn County Sheriff’s Office at (51) 967-3911.
In another case Sunday, firefighters responded at 6:18 a.m. to a car fire in the 800 block of 27th Avenue.
The vehicle, a Suburu station wagon, was owned by Kyle Hadley, Shank said. The vehicle was parked on the street and fully involved when firefighters arrived. They extinguished the fire but have not determined a cause.
The occupant received minor burns to the hands.