Hit teen's mother: 'It makes me angry'
SEATTLE -- A Burien teenager is in the intensive care unit after a pickup truck plowed into her and shattered bones throughout her body.
Now Whitney Sellers' family wants to know why the driver is at home instead of in jail.
Whitney is scheduled to undergo a series of surgeries on Tuesday. The 13-year-old is in a lot of pain.
And her family, with so much to worry about, is a little angry.
"It'll probably be a couple months before she can try to learn how to walk again," said mother Jennifer Shields.
Whitney's pelvis is shattered in five places. Her hip is broken. There's a pin in one of her knees, and her chin is fractured.
"It's amazing that she didn't get any neck or head or spine injuries," said her mother. "As fast as he hit her, and as much as she got thrown, we're blessed."
Detectives estimate the driver was going about 45 miles per hour - possibly faster - when he slammed into her on Sunday. Whitney, who was walking across busy Ambaum Boulevard with her younger sister and cousin at the time, was thrown by the impact and landed some 25 feet away.
Deputies took the driver into custody, but he has not been arrested.
"It makes me angry," said Shields. "And I definitely would want to see something happen."
The family has been told that results of blood-alcohol tests, which will help make decision about possible charges, will take two to three weeks. But the family wants to know why the man is allowed to roam free in the meantime, especially as Whitney lies in the hospital in pain.
"If he, in fact, was drinking and driving, that's my biggest thing," said Shields. "I would never want this to happen to anybody else."
Detectives have also told the family they're looking into whether a medical situation could have also been a factor in the crash.
For Whitney, there's been a recent run of bad luck. More than a month ago, another car T-boned the car she was riding in. She took the brunt of the impact.
Now she's dealing with a new set of injuries that have set her on a long and difficult road to recovery.
"We're just hoping that something positive will come out of this," said her mother.
Now Whitney Sellers' family wants to know why the driver is at home instead of in jail.
Whitney is scheduled to undergo a series of surgeries on Tuesday. The 13-year-old is in a lot of pain.
And her family, with so much to worry about, is a little angry.
"It'll probably be a couple months before she can try to learn how to walk again," said mother Jennifer Shields.
Whitney's pelvis is shattered in five places. Her hip is broken. There's a pin in one of her knees, and her chin is fractured.
"It's amazing that she didn't get any neck or head or spine injuries," said her mother. "As fast as he hit her, and as much as she got thrown, we're blessed."
Detectives estimate the driver was going about 45 miles per hour - possibly faster - when he slammed into her on Sunday. Whitney, who was walking across busy Ambaum Boulevard with her younger sister and cousin at the time, was thrown by the impact and landed some 25 feet away.
Deputies took the driver into custody, but he has not been arrested.
"It makes me angry," said Shields. "And I definitely would want to see something happen."
The family has been told that results of blood-alcohol tests, which will help make decision about possible charges, will take two to three weeks. But the family wants to know why the man is allowed to roam free in the meantime, especially as Whitney lies in the hospital in pain.
"If he, in fact, was drinking and driving, that's my biggest thing," said Shields. "I would never want this to happen to anybody else."
Detectives have also told the family they're looking into whether a medical situation could have also been a factor in the crash.
For Whitney, there's been a recent run of bad luck. More than a month ago, another car T-boned the car she was riding in. She took the brunt of the impact.
Now she's dealing with a new set of injuries that have set her on a long and difficult road to recovery.
"We're just hoping that something positive will come out of this," said her mother.
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