A Klamath Falls man is in ‘serious’ condition tonight following a hit-and-run sledding accident.
60 year old Paul Murnighan was sledding down an alley Tuesday night when the accident took place.
“He had me spotting at the bottom of the hill.” Recalled Murnighan’s friend, Michael Jefferson. “He was coming down at a very high rate of speed, and I was trying to stop him – and I seen the car coming, and I thought, ‘I hope he misses it’ – and he collided into the car.”
Murnighan suffered 5 broken ribs, a punctured lung, and other injuries in the crash.
Jefferson says the driver was aware that a man had been injured…
“The driver slowed down, and he looked over, and he made a left on Jefferson, and he slowed down again – and he just left.”
Murnighan was airlifted to a Bend hospital.
“When I first got him, he was breathing kind of shallow.” Stated Jefferson. “And then he made a gurgling sound, and he stopped breathing. I thought he was gone. I thought I’d lost my friend.”
Police say they’re looking for a white, 4-door sedan from the early 1990’s. That car had stock rims, lightly tinted windows, and could likely have damage to the driver’s side from the collision.
Police are also looking for witnesses.
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