The man police say was struck by a car in Fayetteville before being hospitalized Monday afternoon is now in serious condition at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Mo., according to a hospital official.
Fayetteville police early Tuesday identified the victim as Gary Todd O’Neil, 52. He is in the hospital with brain and spinal injuries, according to police. He had a large wound on the back of his head after the alleged hit-and-run collision.
O'Neil may be from Oklahoma, but has spent time in Missouri and Arkansas, Sgt. Craig Stout said Tuesday (July 2). Authorities believe the man is homeless.
Emergency crews responded at about 2:30 p.m. Monday (July 1) to Martin Luther King Boulevard, near Sang Avenue, in Fayetteville and transported one man to the hospital with a large wound on the back of his head, police said.
O’Neil was lying in the street when emergency crews arrived.
The department’s criminal investigation unit canvassed area neighborhoods looking for the driver of the car who hit the man. It is believed to be a white Ford Taurus with some damage to the right front side of the vehicle, police said.
Little physical evidence was left at the site of the accident from the car, which makes it difficult for investigators to track down the suspect.
“After the accident happened we called out our accident reconstructionists and our criminal investigation unit," Stout said. "We started doing a canvass of surrounding neighborhoods looking for the vehicle, checking a lot of the businesses that are around."
If you have any information that could help police locate the driver involved in the accident, call NWA Crime Stoppers at (479) 790-TIPS or the Fayetteville Police Department at (479) 587-3555.
