CHULA VISTA (KGTV) — A Chula Vista motorcyclist is recovering from a broken leg after a hit-and-run crash in Otay Ranch nearly took his life.
The Chula Vista Police Department is still looking to make an arrest of whoever was driving the silver Toyota Camry seen hitting the motorcyclist and driving off, caught on the motorcycle's camera footage.
Zachary Morales, the motorcyclist involved in the crash, said it happened on April 1 around 7:30 p.m. at the intersection of Heritage Rd and Olympic Parkway.
Morales said he was riding his motorcycle home from the gym when the Camry struck him head-on as he was turning onto Olympic Parkway from Heritage Rd. An Insta 360 X5 camera mounted on his motorcycle captured the collision.
A social media post of the crash caught on camera has since gone viral.
"I just remembered flying over the car, looking at the ground, I see the pavement, my face scrapes the ground, and then I hit the ground," Morales said. "I just feel this super, super hot feeling throughout my whole entire body, then all the pain starts rushing in, and then it rushes to my leg, and I just knew instantly like my leg was broken."
Following the crash, Morales recalls witnesses stopping their vehicles, halting traffic, and calling 911 to help him out.
"It was great to see that type of humanity here in Chula Vista and that they came out to help me," Morales said.
It's now been two weeks since the crash.
Morales asked ABC 10News for help putting the word out that he's still looking for the driver.
Morales' camera caught the make, model, and license plate of the vehicle that hit him and fled. Despite that information, the Chula Vista Police Department has not made an arrest yet.
Investigators told ABC 10News that they have not released the driver's identity because there are several factors that can affect these cases, and they may vary from one investigation to another.
Sergeant Manny Salazar, Chula Vist'a Public Information Officer, said the following factors may be:
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License plates may not always belong to the vehicle they are currently attached to.
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Civil and insurance matters are tied to the registered owner of the vehicle, but criminal charges depend on identifying the driver. The driver must be identified for prosecution to proceed.
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The vehicle owner’s information (including address) may not be current if they have not updated DMV records, which can make locating the vehicle more difficult.
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In some cases, the vehicle may be intentionally hidden to avoid detection, and the driver may also be attempting to avoid contact with law enforcement.
ABC 10News ran the license plate number and got an I.D. on who the Camry belongs to, CVPD is not able to confirm that information to prevent any tampering with the ongoing investigation.
Morales is still waiting for more answers on who left him lying in the middle of the Otay Ranch intersection that night.
"I was like, how can somebody just run away, just leave, not, not care about whoever they just hit, but at the end of the day, you know what, I'm just glad to be alive and well," Morales said. "I'm hoping the public will be able to either see the car, maybe somewhere sitting, or they've seen the car recently in the last couple of days, or maybe seen a car with a different plate."
Morales said he hopes the driver who hit him will make the right decision and come forward.
"I'm not here to shame nobody. I'm just here to get my peace," Morales said.
Morales said he remembered two Teslas driving beside him as he entered Olympic Parkway from Heritage Road. He is asking those drivers to come forward, noting their vehicles have built-in cameras on the sides of the car that may have captured additional footage to help investigators track down the driver.
Morales is currently recovering from a broken fibula and tibia, which now has two titanium metal rods with bolts in it, and a puncture wound in his right leg. He faces about six months of recovery and has created a GoFundMe page to help cover his sudden medical expenses.
If you have information about this crash and can help Morales find the driver, reach out to Chula Vista Police Department here: https://www.chulavistaca.gov/departments/police-department/services/online-reporting
