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WILKES-BARRE — A Kingston woman struck by a vehicle that fled the scene last week underwent a fourth surgery Monday at Hershey Medical Center near Harrisburg.

Angela Velazquez, 38, of Kingston, had her right leg amputated and sustained severe injuries to her left leg when she was struck by a vehicle as she crossed East Northampton Street at South Main Street on Feb. 10.

Police were pursuing the vehicle when Velazquez was struck.

“She’s in good spirits, that is who Angela is,” said her sister, Barbara McLean. “She is struggling, struggling bad. She is still in a lot of pain. She’s not doing good but she’s in good spirits.”

McLean said Angela was walking to the Wilkes-Barre Post Office for a money order when she was struck. If she didn’t need a money order, McLean said Angela, a mother of five children, would not have needed to cross East Northampton Street.

“She was by herself. Normally, if she didn’t need a money order, she would have gone up Northampton the way she always goes to visit our mother,” McLean said.

McLean said Angela underwent a fourth surgery Monday.

“We were told the surgeries are part of the process of amputation,” McLean said.

A Go Fund Me account has been set up to help offset medical cost for Angela, who does not have health insurance.

Police described the unknown driver who struck Angela as a Black male, late 20s to early 30s, 6 feet 3 inches to 6 feet 4 inches tall, about 220 pounds with gold teeth. He may possibly be from New York, police said.

Police stated Monday they are collecting video footage and interviewing witnesses in an attempt to identify and locate the driver.

The vehicle was recovered with the driver’s side door open in the area of South and South River streets where the unknown driver entered a building during his escape.

Police said the pursuit began with a traffic stop of the vehicle, which was stolen, on South Empire Street with three people inside. An odor of marijuana was coming from the vehicle, police said.

Police said after the driver exited, a passenger jumped into the driver’s seat and sped away resulting in the pursuit.

In a news release posted on the police department’s Facebook page, officers lost sight of the vehicle on Stanton Street but later learned the driver stopped at South Sherman and East Northampton streets to let a passenger out.

The driver drove west on East Northampton Street and attempted to go around a stopped vehicle when Velazquez was struck.

Radio broadcast reports of the pursuit indicated an officer witnessed Velazquez being struck and immediately notified 911 to dispatch an ambulance to East Northampton and South Main streets.

“She’s looking at a long recovery; it’s going to be a long journey but the important thing is she’s alive,” McLean said.

Anyone with information about the driver is asked to call Wilkes-Barre police at 570-208-4200 or 911.

Victim of hit-run underwent fourth surgery for leg amputation