No suspect has yet been identified in the Chelsea hit-and-run accident

On By Pranco

CHELSEA – Law enforcement has not yet identified a suspect in a Nov. 6 hit-and-run incident that injured Angelique Binns of Gardiner.

Binns was walking north along River Road around 6:15 p.m. when a vehicle struck her from behind, causing a severe concussion, a broken elbow, pleurisy and extensive bruising.

Police found a broken black passenger-side mirror at the scene, she said, along with tire tracks indicating the driver was swaying in and out of the roadway. Binns said she was wearing a bright light attached to her backpack to make herself more visible to drivers, which was also found at the scene.

“I was walking on the right side of the street,” she said. “I was standing on the only part with a sidewalk. I had a light attached to me, reflective gear. I have done everything I can to be seen by cars at night.”

Binns said she does not remember the incident or its immediate aftermath, but said a bystander in a red pickup saw her in a ditch just north of Wayne’s Weeds, a medical cannabis dispensary, and took her to MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta. She said the person helped her into a wheelchair, dropped her off at the Maine emergency department and quickly left without giving their name.

She said she still doesn’t know the identity of the person who dropped her off, and that police told her they weren’t sure if the person who hit her and the person who took her to the hospital were the same person. She also said police also told her that some of the information found at the scene pointed the investigation toward the Litchfield area.

Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Chris Read confirmed Monday that no suspect has been identified, but provided no other details about the case. Deputy Alex Morin is still investigating, he said.

“Anyway, I just need closure,” said Binns, who underwent surgery to repair her broken elbow on her 40th birthday. “The pain part hurts, but the mental part is worse. I either want to find the vehicle that found me or just find the person who did it so I know why. I get it: hitting someone is scary. You could lose so many things, but honestly, I’m an extremely understanding person. Sorry goes a long way.”

Tips in the case can be submitted on the sheriff’s website.