Editor’s note: The family said the victim was pronounced dead at 8:30 p.m. on June 2.
(FOX40.COM) — The man who was left critically injured after a hit-and-run car crash in Sacramento is not expected to survive, according to his family.
The victim, identified by his mother and stepdad as 32-year-old Tyler West Vandehei, was walking near 16th Street when he was struck by a vehicle around 1 a.m. on May 31. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Police said they arrested the driver several hours after he fled the scene.
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“Its going to be fatal,” said Erik Spence, stepdad, on Sunday. “He has a skull fracture and abrasions all over his body. The doctors said his prognosis isn’t good.”
Spence said he and his wife received a phone call from law enforcement at 3:30 a.m. on May 31.
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“They told us we needed to get to the hospital because Tyler was probably going to die,” Spence said.
Shortly after, the couple said they hopped on a plane from their home in Washington and flew to U.C. Davis Medical Center.
“I’m heartbroken,” said Vandehei’s mom, Deborah West. “He wasn’t just someone who got hit by a car. He’s my son. He’s a brother. He’s a grandson.”
West said that Vandehei struggled with housing after being let go from a job and thinks that may have been the reason he was outside so early in the morning. She said as a single man, he didn’t have the same resources available as a teenager or person with a child, but he was optimistic about getting back on his feet.
“I have so many questions,” West said. “I just want to know the circumstances surrounding his death so that we can have closure.”
West said her son has a family who loves him. His brother, sisters and parents created a GoFundMe to help with his medical and potential funeral expenses.
“He was a kind and giving person who would help anyone even if he had nothing,” West said.
Vandehei’s family said they are planning to take him off life support on Monday because doctors said he doesn’t have any measurable neurological function. They find some solace in knowing he is an organ donor.
“At 16, he chose to be an organ donor when he first got his license,” West said. “This is a wish that I want to honor for him. Something good can come from such a tragic situation.
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