Local News

Police searching for driver who struck WRAL employee and ran from scene

Late Friday night, WRAL News learned that a colleague and dear friend was hit on Western Boulevard in Raleigh at the beginning of the winter snow storm.

Posted 2022-01-22T22:04:30+00:00 - Updated 2022-01-26T18:15:48+00:00

WRAL employee injured after I-440 and Western Boulevard crash

Raleigh police are searching for a driver involved in a hit and run on Western Boulevard near I-440 that happened at the beginning of the snow storm Friday night.

WRAL News learned late Friday night that our colleague and dear friend Erin Simanskis was the person struck and injured in the incident.

WRAL News covered this story online and on WRAL-TV early Friday night without knowing that the victim was one of our own.

Simanskis, WRAL's weekend assignment editor and 5 On Your Side research assistant was involved in a fender bender on her way home from the newsroom.

As she was standing on the side of the road exchanging information with Danny Ray Person, the other driver involved in the crash, a van struck her – and the van’s driver ran away, leaving the van on the scene.

Person was the driver involved in the fender-bender, not the driver of the van who hit Simanskis and then ran away.

Simanskis was in critical condition for two days and passed away on Wednesday morning.

If you have any information on the driver who hit her and took off, we ask that you please contact the Raleigh Police Department's non-emergency line at 919-831-6311.