OC family seeks public's help after daughter crushed by car that drove into apartment

Amy Powell Image
Sunday, May 7, 2023
OC family seeks public's help after daughter crushed in hit-and-run
OC family seeks public's help after daughter crushed in hit-and-runAn Orange County woman is fighting for her life after a driver plowed into the apartment she was sleeping in and crushed her with the vehicle before running away.

ORANGE, Calif. (KABC) -- An Orange County woman is fighting for her life after a driver plowed into the apartment she was sleeping in and crushed her with the vehicle before running away.

Ayoleone Bufkin was spending the night on her cousin's couch at a ground-level apartment in Santa Ana when the tragedy occurred on May 1. She was pinned down under the car.

Now, she remains in critical condition after undergoing several surgeries and having her left foot amputated.

The 32-year-old's parents are speaking out and asking the public's help in catching the person who hit their daughter and then fled the scene.

"It's unbelievable. They just slammed into the house, got out of the van and just ran," said Aquah Bufkin, the victim's mother.

According to the GoFundMe set up by Aquah Bufkin, her daughter had injuries that "include a broken right collar bone, a shattered pelvis, an injured left hip and leg, a ruptured bladder, and exposed intestines, extending from the hole in her abdomen."

For Aquah Bufkin, the tragedy has been overwhelming and hard to process.

"Sleeping on the couch in front of the television. When a car, a van, comes through the wall. You know, it's horrible. I don't even know. I mean, it's hard to believe. It took me a long time to even see that it was real. And she's so bruised and just so crumpled, and they're putting her back together," she said to Eyewitness News.

Ayoleone Bufkin's father spoke as well, saying he wants the person who hit his daughter found.

"If you know this person, please go to the police. Let somebody know. Imagine if it's your child, what would you want done," said Roland Gonzalez.

Ayoleone Bufkin remains at UCI Medical Center in Orange, where doctors and family members remain hopeful that she will recover.

As for the driver who committed the hit-and-run, they remain on the loose.

Aquah Bufkin's GoFundMe was set up to help cover her daughter's medical expenses.

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