Woman left for dead in hit and run

LARGO - Police in Largo are searching for a hit and run suspect. Investigators say Darcee Jo Randall was hit as she was walking across the street Sunday night.

The incident happened just before 10 p.m. at the intersection of East Bay and Seacrest Drives.

Detectives say Randall, 55, tripped as she was walking across the street. Several cars swerved to avoid hitting her, but one driver did not move out of the way in time.

After hitting Randall, witnesses say the driver stopped for a short time. Then the car took off, running a red light.

The vehicle is described as a newer model silver or light colored Ford or Cadillac. It should have some front end damage like broken headlights and a broken windshield.

Randall was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she remains in critical condition.

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Ryan Davis said his mom is barely recognizable.

"You wouldn't recognize her. The only way I knew it's her, is because they told me that's where she was," he said.

Darcee Jo Randall was on her way to a convenient store across the street from her apartment when she was hit, police said.

"She crossed the first three lanes. Then she made it across another. As she was in the center westbound lane, she tripped and fell. One car swerved to miss her," said Sgt. George Edmiston, with the Largo Police Department. "At that same time as that vehicle was passing, she was starting to get up as if to finish crossing, when the silver vehicle struck the pedestrian. And fled the scene."

Witnesses described the car as a newer model silver sedan, possibly a Cadillac or a Ford.

They said after the car hit Randall, it slowed down but then drove off, running a red light to get away.

Ryan says he can't believe it.

"Hitting somebody and knowing you hit somebody and running that's, I don't see how they can get up and look at themselves in the mirror. And know they could have killed somebody. They didn't know if she was alive," he said.

Ryan said his mom is in a medically induced coma, with extensive injuries.

"It's like something you see in a movie. It's crazy. Every bone in her face is broken. Her clavicle is broken. Her left femur. Her right ankle. Her lungs are bruised," he described.

Randall does not have insurance, so Ryan has that extra burden to worry about. But for now, he's just hoping his mom recovers.

"They keep her sedated because she's in so much pain. It's excruciating, is what they say, for her to be awake," he said.

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Police do have some leads, and they have surveillance video from a nearby business, which shows the car drive by, just after it hit Randall.

They also have pieces of the car's headlights, which were left behind.

They are hoping someone with information will call them. They can be reached at (727) 587-6730.