Who hit and injured Rich Moon in Portsmouth, Ohio? Portsmouth Police asked the driver of the vehicle who hit and severely injured a beloved local character on Saturday to turn themselves in. The department even went so far as to say it knows the accident was not necessarily the fault of the driver. ” We are aware that it was the pedestrian’s fault for crossing against the light. Do the right thing and contact Sgt. Davis or Sgt. Nagel for a written statement.”
Law enforcement went on to say they know the driver must be aware of the accident. “We know that you know you hit someone because you reacted twice by hitting your brakes and then continuing westbound on 52 toward West Portsmouth.”
Rich Moon was crossing the street near 12th and Chillicothe when he was struck by what police described as a van/SUV crossover. The vehicle fled the scene. Moon was taken by air ambulance to Grant Hospital. According to Moon’s family, “He is still heavily sedated, he has been awake enough to squeeze the nurse’s thumb to answer yes and no questions. This is a good sign. He is not out of the woods yet, but he certainly does understand questions and that is a wonderful thing. Keep the prayers coming. They are working.”
Beloved Local Icon
While in some communities a scruffy fellow who is known to wander the streets and behave oddly might draw ridicule, Rich Moon is a beloved figure in Portsmouth, Ohio who even has a Facebook group with 2500 members dedicated to him. Portsmouth Mayor Kevin E. Johnson was among the hundreds of local residents who shared Moon’s picture and called for prayers on his behalf.
Members of Moon’s family created a GoFundMe to help pay for his long road to recovery. The family said that doctors were ‘cautiously optimistic.’ about his chances for recovery. So far, just over $1700 of the $500 goal had been raised.
