A Missouri mom is fighting for her life after she was struck by an alleged drunk driver after leaving a St. Patrick’s Day celebration over the weekend, say police.
On Saturday night, just before 10 p.m., officers in Cottleville responded to a call about a 36-year-old woman on the shoulder of State Highway North with injuries to her head, the Cottleville Police Department says in a release.
Witnesses told officers they were walking on the shoulder of the highway when the woman was hit from behind by a car and left unconscious.
The woman, identified by family as Lindsay Jaco, 36, was rushed to the hospital for head injuries she sustained. She underwent brain surgery for a fractured skull, her sister, Amanda Cowee told local news station KSDK.
She is also suffering from breeding on the brain, according to a GoFundMe set up for Jaco and her family.
Jaco and two friends were in Cottleville celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at a restaurant, her sister, Amanda Cowee told KSDK.
Just before 10 p.m., they were “just walking back to one of her friend’s houses,” Cowee said, lated adding, “Now, she’s fighting for her life.”
With the festivities winding down, “Traffic was minimal through Old Town, as we call it,” Cottleville Police Chief Dave McCune tells PEOPLE.
Jaco and two others were walking on a desolate shoulder of Highway N, a two-lane heading into and out of the downtown area, he says. “They were the only ones walking,” he says. “That’s when the pedestrian was struck.”
The driver allegedly “swerved and hit the pedestrian,” he said. “She was arrested for suspected DWI.”
Cowee was shocked when she learned her sister had been hit by a car.
“You never want to get a call like that,” she said. “It’s my baby sister and it was hard.”
Jaco, a mother of two, is in critical condition but has been able to utter a few words and move a little bit, which gives Cowee and her family hope, she told KSDK.
The alleged driver, Antoinette Bayless, 59, of Valley Park, was arrested by the Missouri Highway Patrol on Saturday night in St. Charles County and charged with suspicion of driving while intoxicated, police said, First Alert 4, WLBT and KMOV report.
She was released after a 12-hour hold, according to an online arrest report.
It is unclear whether she has entered a plea or retained an attorney who can speak on her behalf.
Spokesmen for the Missouri Highway Patrol and Cottleville Police Department did not immediately return PEOPLE’s calls for comment.
As police continue to investigate, Jaco’s family and friends say they are hoping she recovers.
“We’re all behind her, rooting for her. She’s got a lot of support from friends and family. She had two little kids, she’s fighting for them,” Cowee said.
Why are people still drinking and driving ?Maybe if the penalty is stiffer they might stop.These people who do this are either stupidity personified or are narcissists
I think if you’re 59 and drinking and driving not much is going to change the way you live your life. People who have alcohol problems don’t believe it’s a problem. This 59 year old better hope this woman recovers.