LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Louisville Metro Police are trying to find the driver who hit an 18-year-old riding his bike home from work Friday night.
Kingston Maestas was leaving his shift at 7 Brew when he was hit around midnight at the intersection of Dixie Highway and Valley Station Road. The driver did not stop.
Maestas' parents were expecting him home after work, but when the recent Valley High School graduate never arrived, they initially thought he may have gone to see friends.
When Maestas missed his sister's birthday party the next day, his family knew something was wrong.
"I don't think anything really prepares you for those kind of moments," his father, David Magalogo, said.
The family repeatedly called Maestas' phone until someone eventually answered. Magalogo said a man told him he had found the phone while walking home from Walmart and gave him the location.
Magalogo rushed to the area along Dixie Highway with some of Maestas' former football teammates. There, they found Maestas' shoes.
"My heart sank, my stomach is in knots and I'm just thinking of the worst," Magalogo said.
The family rushed to the hospital, where they identified Maestas, who had been admitted as a John Doe. Nearly 12 hours had passed since the crash.
"I just explained, 'mom and dad are here, we're gonna get through this,'" Magalogo said. "'You've been in a bad wreck.'"
Maestas suffered a collapsed lung, torn spleen and damaged arteries. He remains in the ICU recovering.
Magalogo said when his son woke up, one of the first things he asked was how someone could hit him and leave.
"Like, 'Dad, how could someone do that?'" Magalogo said. "It's hard to tell your kid that's the world we live in."
Police are still searching for the driver. Maestas' family said investigators believe the vehicle is a white Jeep Renegade with damage to the driver's side.
"Check your neighbors if they have a vehicle matching that description," Magalogo said.
Security cameras from nearby businesses captured the crash. LMPD previously said detectives were using the footage to develop a description of the vehicle.
Magalogo said it's difficult to understand how someone could leave his son injured on the side of the road.
"I've prayed and prayed and prayed the last few days for God to remove this hate from my heart because that kind of hate can really consume you," he said.
The family said Maestas' phone and the pocket bike he had saved up to buy were also stolen after the crash.
For now, his plans to pursue a degree in electrical engineering and serve a church mission are on hold as he continues recovering in the ICU.
A GoFundMe was set up to help Maestas and his family with expenses as he recovers.
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