‘It was just a nightmare’: A Washington family is looking for a driver who fled the scene of a crash

May 08-- May 8--BLISS -- The family of a Washington man who was severely injured in a November car crash on Interstate 84 near Bliss is trying to find the driver of a truck that fled the scene.

Ron Goodman, who lives in Soap Lake, Wash., was on life support for 21 days, spent 82 days in hospitals and underwent about 22 surgeries. He still is unable to use his legs.

His family is offering a reward to whoever has information that leads to the person responsible for the crash.

Goodman's daughter Kourtnie Suarez, who lives in Ephrata, Wash., told the Times-News on Tuesday the family has tried to stay in contact with Idaho State Police, but without a license plate number and only a basic description of the truck from witnesses, "it doesn't give them someone to go after."

In November, Idaho State Police said in a statement it was investigating the crash that injured two people on I-84 eastbound at mile marker 141 near the Bliss exit off-ramp and asked witnesses and the truck's driver to come forward.

An unsecured toolbox came out of the bed of a truck and landed on the interstate, leading to the crash.

An Idaho State Police official told the Times-News on Tuesday there haven't been any citations filed in the case.

Witnesses told law enforcement the driver of the truck with the unsecured toolbox slowed down and pulled off onto the shoulder of the interstate after the accident, but immediately took off and sped away, Suarez said.

About a week after the accident, Suarez spoke with one of the witnesses -- who was driving on the interstate behind her father -- but the woman didn't have the license plate number of the truck that left the scene. The witness said it was a silver full-size truck, but she couldn't tell if it was a Ford or Chevrolet.

Suarez said her father has tried to stay positive about the situation. But with medical expenses stacking up, they're hoping to find the driver who fled the scene to see if that person has insurance that could help.

'It was just a nightmare'

On Nov. 17, Goodman was traveling through Bliss on the way to Arizona to visit a friend whose husband had recently died of cancer.

A truck in front of Goodman had a large chrome toolbox in the truck bed that wasn't strapped down, Suarez said.

"It flew out the back of the truck," she said. "Dad was a short distance behind them."

Goodman tried to swerve out of the way, but there wasn't enough time. His pickup slammed into the toolbox.

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Suarez said she received a phone call just after 9 a.m. the day of the crash from an off-duty firefighter notifying her about what happened. She was getting ready for her daughter's birthday.

"At that point, we had no idea how bad the accident was," Suarez said.

It was bad. Goodman's legs were crushed and arteries in both legs were severed. He also suffered other injuries, including three fractures to his skull, a fractured pelvis and eight fractured ribs.

"It was just a nightmare," Suarez said.

Suarez's uncle was a passenger in Goodman's truck and walked away with three stitches to a finger and a black eye. "How he walked away with such minor injuries was just amazing to me," Suarez said.

Goodman was taken by helicopter to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, where he underwent a 16-hour vascular surgery. He was there through Dec. 18 and was then transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was until he was released Feb. 6.

At Saint Alphonsus, the family was told there wasn't anything to do to repair Goodman's legs and the recommendation was to amputate them, Suarez said. "They said the bones in his legs were like crushed cornflakes."

But the family decided against amputation. Goodman is unable to stand, and he now uses a wheelchair. He's undergoing physical therapy. Custom braces for his legs, which will go under his feet and hook on the top of his thighs, will be ready Thursday. The braces are supposed to stabilize his ankles and feet so he can stand with the assistance of a harness.

"It's just going to be a very, very long process," Suarez said.

Goodman is the manager of an orchard in Royal City, Wash., where he has been working for almost 30 years.

"Work was amazing throughout the entire situation," Suarez said. His employer rented housing for the family to stay at in Boise and then Seattle while Goodman was in the hospital. "None of us prepared financially for something like this."

Goodman can make work-related phone calls, Suarez said, but nothing none of the more physical tasks he used to do. She takes her father out to the orchard he loves once every couple of weeks.

"That's what he grew up doing and that's something he absolutely loved," Suarez said.

As her father continues to push forward, there's a lot to deal with: significant injuries and physical therapy, family members being caregivers for Goodman, and a mountain of paperwork and bills.

Suarez said: "It was definitely a situation that I never expected our family to be in."

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