ENCINITAS, Calif. (KGTV) - An Encinitas patent attorney is recovering from serious injuries after a hit-and-run driver struck him while on an evening walk.
Two Sundays ago, Mike Eisenberg was walking along Glen Arbor Drive past 10 p.m. when a car struck him, leaving him with a fractured femur and torn knee ligaments. The driver fled the scene.
Eisenberg said he walks in the parking lane against traffic so he can see oncoming cars. On the night of the crash, he said he did not see the vehicle until it was too late.
"I saw a headlight. I saw it just as it was about to impact me, and it was going very fast. I remember being flung in the air. I remember hitting the ground, by my elbow and hip," Eisenberg said.
Surveillance video captured the sounds of the collision, followed by Eisenberg's screams for help. The next sound heard on the video is a damaged bumper on the ground as the car drives away.
"The vehicle that hit me was dragging its bumper. It was scraping along the ground. It slowed down momentarily, maybe for a few seconds, and then zipped off," Eisenberg said.
Neighbors helped Eisenberg before he was brought to a hospital. Doctors diagnosed him with a femur fracture and knee ligament damage.
"My knee is hyperextended. The initial radiology report said a complete tear of the ACL and a partial tear of the PCL," Eisenberg said.
Detectives told Eisenberg a car part was recovered at the scene — a headlamp cover belonging to a Toyota Prius.
As Eisenberg, a patent attorney, begins his recovery, he said he is searching for answers.
“Basically treating me like roadkill," Eisenberg said.
He said finding the driver matters beyond his own case.
"It's also for the community. This driver could do this again," Eisenberg said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the San Diego County Sheriff's Office at (858) 868-3200 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
