RICHMOND, Va. β A Richmond man is recovering from serious injuries after being struck by a car during a street takeover.
JP, who asked to be identified only by his initials, was thrown at least 20 feet when a spinning BMW hit him at the intersection of Forest Hill Avenue and Westover Hills Boulevard in South Richmond.
"The most I could do was jump, because I knew if I didn't jump, I'm gonna end up under it," JP said.
The impact left him with a fractured neck at the spine. While he lay bleeding on the ground, he said bystanders focused more on recording the incident than helping him.
"Everybody trying to figure out what's in my pocket, take anything else I had on me, just wanting to record and post like just laughing," JP said. "Everybody's telling me, when I'm waking up, coming to my senses, that yeah, you were bleeding on the ground. So everybody's looking at me just bleeding on the ground. Just, that's the funniest thing for y'all right now?"
The driver who hit JP did not stop and is wanted for felony hit and run.
Richmond Police Department has responded to multiple street takeovers recently, including four different locations on one Saturday night. Officers found skid marks on pedestrian crossings.
Police are taking a zero-tolerance approach to the illegal gatherings. They are confiscating cars and charging various traffic violations and even felony crimes.
JP acknowledges his curiosity about the burnout battles could have cost him his mobility or his life.
"I don't do takeovers at all. It's not my thing. There's other places to go. You got Custom Ts, Dominion Raceway, so many other tracks that allow us to do what we like to do in a legal setting," JP said. "But everybody just likes to bring the BS outside."
JP faces months of rehabilitation. His wedding is scheduled for November 8, and he hopes he can stand long enough, pain-free, to watch his bride walk down the aisle.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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