One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Grandmother Has Legs Amputated After Hit-and-Run, City Council Offers $50,000 Reward for Information
Irma Rodriguez, 59, was standing behind her car in South Los Angeles when she was hit by another driver, injuring her so badly that both of her legs had to be amputated.
The accident happened in August, and since then, the grandmother and mother of four has had to adjust to a new way of life.
"It's really difficult right now," her daughter, Mariela Escobar, told Fox11 News. "She needs assistance all the time. She was really an independent person. She used to do everything by herself. And now...she's like really kind of troubled.''
The LA City Council announced today that they will offer a $50,000 reward to anyone with information leading to the arrest of the driver that caused Rodriguez' injuries. All they know now is that the person was driving a truck, according to Fox11, and that in surveillance video, it appears to be a Hispanic male.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
