Family of hit-and-run victim: 'We just hope justice will prevail'

By Mark Miller & KOMO Staff Published: Aug 22, 2012 at 5:38 PM PDT Last Updated: Aug 23, 2012 at 9:29 AM PDT
ANACORTES, Wash. -- Parents of a motorcyclist killed in a hit-and-run crash in Anacortes Tuesday mourned the loss of their son and say they hope justice is served against the woman who allegedly hit him.

Troopers say the 23-year-old motorcyclist, Michael McCurdy, was slowing down to avoid a collision ahead of him in the eastbound lanes of State Route 20 at Fidalgo Bay Road when he was hit from behind by another car.

The woman driving the car that hit him did not stop and sped away from the scene, Trooper Keith Leary said. The impact from the crash knocked the motorcyclist off his bike and into the road, where he was hit by another car. Leary said the driver of that vehicle did stop.

Officials said the driver who sped away eventually called a tow truck for her damaged vehicle but did not call 911 to get help for the motorcyclist.

Paramedics eventually were called and got McCurdy to the hospital Tuesday night still alive, and his dad and mom were at his bedside when he died early Wednesday morning.

"God knows we had tears in our eyes as we held his hand and watched him take his last breath," said Randy McCurdy, Michael's father.

The family's grief deepened when troopers told them the driver of the car that allegedly hit their son just kept on going.

"We believe she knew what happened," Randy McCurdy said. "(She) didn't call 911, she left the scene... with basically no regard as to what occurred."

Michael McCurdy's relatives are relieved officers arrested the suspected driver, 26-year-old Gisela Carmona-Moreno. However, they now struggle with their feelings toward the suspect.

"We just hope that justice will prevail and that, God willing at some point in our lives, we can forgive her for taking our son's life," Randy McCurdy said.

A fluke of luck led troopers to the car. The license plate from the car that first hit McCurdy was ripped off by the impact and was found at the crash scene, Leary said. Troopers spotted the car a short time later as it was being towed down a road in Anacortes.

They suspect the driver and possibly her family may have been trying to hide the damaged sedan.

"The reasoning she gave us that I can share with you is that she was scared, and that's why she left the scene," Leary said.

Randy McCurdy says his son loved spending time with family and working out. Adopted as a cocaine-addicted baby, the young man eventually blossomed.

"He quickly overcame that and became a very outstanding individual," Randy McCurdy said of his son. "Very loving, and people absolutely loved him."

Gisela Carmona-Moreno, was booked into the Skagit County Jail for investigation of hit-and-run and is being held on $100,000 bail.