Injured Palmdale man looking for hit-and-run driver

PALMDALE, Calif. (KABC) -- An Antelope Valley man is on a mission to find the hit-and-run driver who left him injured on the side of the road.

Richard Skinner, 55, is outraged that he was nearly killed by a driver who struck him while he was walking home near the intersection of Sierra Highway and East Avenue R in Palmdale in March. He said he was hit so hard that he was lifted off the ground and sent flying about two feet into the dirt.

By the time Skinner was able to figure out what happened, the driver had fled. He said had it not been for a tow truck driver stopping to help him, he may have been left on the ground in pain for hours.

Skinner spent a week in the hospital because of injuries he sustained, which included a lacerated kidney, a deep gash on his head and a fractured back.

He said he wanted to speak out on Eyewitness News as a way to get the suspect to do the right thing and turn himself in.

"The sheriffs can't find anybody because there's no witnesses or if there is they're not coming forward. Two, (he) has to be held accountable for it," Skinner said. "There's so many hit and runs and nobody gets punished.

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies said hit-and-run crashes are on the rise in Palmdale. The department is asking for the public's help to find the driver. Anyone with information is urged to call (661) 272-2400.