Gwinnett County woman on life support after accident

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Taylor Hamm, 25, has been on life support at Gwinnett Medical Center since she was struck by a car while walking on Lawrenceville Suwanee Road shortly before 7 a.m. Christmas Day. Her parents, their attorney and the head of pedestrian advocacy groups said the woman who struck Hamm should be charged for leaving the scene and waiting several minutes to call for help.

“I don’t understand why there haven’t been charges at this point. It really baffles me,” said Hamm’s father Jeffrey Hamm as he stood in front of the Gwinnett County Justice Center. “Every second counts. The delay in getting help could have made the difference in her just maybe having memory loss or something instead of being on life support.”

“My concerns are they are negating the fact that this is a life--a life I gave birth to. Charges should be filed,” said Taylor’s mother Dana Poole.

Gwinnett County Police Cpl. Deon Washington told reporters the driver, a woman who was 8 months pregnant at the time, didn’t feel comfortable stopping in the road and drove approximately two miles to her job at Gwinnett Medical to report she’d hit something in the road.

“We sympathize with the Hamm family who’s dealing with this horrific situation. At this time, there is no evidence that charges should be filed. There were no crosswalks, street lights and it was pitch black. She didn’t stop because she didn’t actually know at the time struck a human being,” Cpl. Washington said Wednesday afternoon at Gwinnett Police Headquarters.

Sally Flocks, the President and CEO of the Pedestrian Advocacy Group PEDS, believes not charging the driver sends the wrong message.

“That says that it’s okay to just hit someone and leave them in the road. There is no excuse for this woman not to have stayed, turned on her flashers and called for help especially since she works at a hospital. It’s just unacceptable,” said Flocks, with Hamm’s parents at her side.

Gwinnett District attorney Danny Porter told Fox 5’s Portia Bruner his investigators will look closely at all the evidence turned over by Gwinnett police.

“I can’t go into all of the details of the evidence in this case, but it’s not as clear cut of a case as what’s been released to the media. There’s a lot to sort out here. If the attorney had contacted me directly, I would have told him and the Hamm family so they know exactly what’s going on,” said Danny Porter.

Taylor’s family said her medical bills are mounting at Gwinnett Medical Center. Family friends set up a page to help offset their costs. You can donate at https://www.gofundme.com/prayers-for-taylor-michal-hamm