LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- In the last few years, police have investigated thousands of hit-and-run crashes involving pedestrians.

It's a big problem on Louisville's roads, with the most recent happening Thursday morning on Cane Run Road in the city's St. Denis neighborhood. 

On Monday, a man was killed in a hit-and-run on Preston Highway at Lees Lane in Okolona. He was identified by family as John Michelle Nash, or Mike.

John Nash - Preston Highway hit-and-run victim 3-28-24

John Nash, 48, was killed in a hit-and-run on Preston Highway in Okolona on Monday, March 25, 2024. (Family photo)

"I couldn't believe it. For someone to just hit him and leave," said Mindy Tibbitts, Nash's sister.

Tibbitts is still processing the lost off her brother.

"He has a grandson and a granddaughter who will never know what an amazing grandfather they had," she said.

According to Louisville Metro Police, the driver took off after the crash near Chateau Lane around 9 p.m. that killed Nash, 48, who was walking on Preston Highway when he was hit.

Police said the suspected vehicle is believed to be a white passenger sedan that likely has damage to the front passenger side.

It's a crime that happens far too often in Louisville.

"It amazes me that someone could not see that that was her right to walk," said Rebecca Moore.

Earlier this month, a hit-and-run driver hit Moore's sister-in-law in a crosswalk on 3rd Street and Eastern Parkway. She was hurt, but survived. She's currently recovering with a compound shoulder fracture.

"It's very upsetting and disturbing in that early hour," said Moore. "And to also find out that she had the crosswalk and (was) ready to, you know, walk across the street."

Collision data from Kentucky State Police shows a total of 628 hit-and-run pedestrian-related crashes in Jefferson County over the last five years. Of those, 67 people were killed.

"It's always been a problem," Louisville personal injury attorney Andrew White said. "It's a matter of integrity. It's a matter of having responsibility for what you do when you drive, and people all too frequently get a license without having a corresponding sense of duty or integrity."

Now, nearly four months into 2024, the problem persists. Jefferson County has seen at least 38 hit-and-run crashes involving pedestrians so far this year. A person was injured in 25 of those crashes, and four of them were deadly.

Here is a breakdown of how many hit-and-run crashes involving pedestrians happened in Jefferson County over the last five years (as of March 28, 2024):

  • 2019: 123
  • 2020: 106
  • 2021: 102
  • 2022: 116
  • 2023: 144
  • 2024: 38

"It's very upsetting," said Moore. "It was very traumatizing for us. I can't imagine all the families, and especially the families that lost someone."

The families who are affected by these crashes will always live with that pain, but they still hope for change and closure.

"I'm just praying that they found this person," Tibbitts said.

If you have any information in any hit-and-run crash, you're encouraged to call LMPD's anonymous Crime Tip Line at (502) 574-LMPD (5673). Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the department's Crime Tip Portal by clicking here. 

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