VANCOUVER, Wash. — A Hazel Dell teen is home recovering after being hit by an SUV in Northeast Vancouver on Wednesday night.
Halie Oana, 13, was crossing Northeast 88th Street with her brother when she was struck by a gray 2001 Jeep Cherokee heading westbound. Halie's brother stayed by her side as neighbor kids ran to let Halie's mom know what happened.
"As soon as I heard, she got hit by a car, I thought, 'Oh my God, she's dead,'" said Nicole Oana, Halie's mom. "As I got out there she was laying in the middle of the road, my son, her brother was laying next to her, holding her. She was crying...that's how I found her."
Halie suffered a broken leg, some scrapes and bruises, but is expected to be OK. It's an outcome her mom is thankful isn't worse.
"A broken leg and a couple months of recovery is all we get out of this, I'm thankful for that. She's alive and she's gonna be OK, that's all that matters to me," Nicole said.
The vehicle was seized by the Clark County Sheriff's Office. It was stolen out of Vancouver on Wednesday prior to the hit-and-run, deputies said.
As for the driver, the sheriff's office is still looking for him. He was described as a white man in his 30s.
Nicole wants him found so he can be punished for what he did to her daughter.
"To look back and know that there's a group of kids that you just hit, like I don't know how you take off and be OK doing that," she said.