Woman injured in Torrance hit-and-run that killed beloved dog urges driver to come forward

TORRANCE, Calif. (KABC) -- Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who struck a woman and her dogs in Torrance Monday.

The woman is recovering, but one of her beloved pets did not survive the crash.

"I got hit right here, and right here, you can tell it's swollen on the inside," said Diane Castillo as she pointed to her bruises.

She was treated for fractured ribs and other injuries after being struck, but her beloved dog Daisy was killed.

"I'm still at a loss for words. It hasn't hit me yet," she said.

Castillo was walking her two dogs around 5:30 a.m., attempting to cross Vermont Avenue near her Torrance home. Her dogs were standing in the bike lane when she said a vehicle suddenly came speeding in her direction.

"All I seen was something coming towards me... It hit me. I fell to the ground around here. I was injured, but it wasn't my concern," she said.

Daisy was Castillo's best friend for 13 years.

"My Daisy was my daughter," Castillo said. "She'd come jump on me and cuddle with me. When we sleep, I slept right next to her."

Castillo's other dog, Cleo, survived the crash.

Castillo and neighbors say drivers frequently speed along the street. After her tragedy, Castillo won't walk there anymore.

"Why didn't you be a man or be a woman and stop? There's too much of this going on right now... too much," Castillo said.

She believes the hit-and-run vehicle was a white pickup.