Mother dies, toddler remains hospitalized after Henrico hit-and-run

HIGHLAND SPRINGS, Va. — The mother who was hit walking and holding her toddler along a busy road in Highland Springs early Friday morning has died.

Twenty-five-year-old Howquana Kara Bugg, of Henrico, succumbed to injuries on Tuesday after being hit along the 5700 block of Nine Mile Road around 1:15 a.m. on Friday, July 5, according to Henrico Police.

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"She was doing everything correctly," Lt. David Turner with Henrico Police previously said. "The mother was walking along the side of Nine Mile Road holding her 21-month-old child when she was struck by a vehicle somewhat head-on because she was walking in the opposite direction of travel.”

The 21-month-old child remains hospitalized in serious condition, officials said.

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“The driver’s senseless act of leaving the scene of a crash has left a family heartbroken and now a young child without a mother,” Turner said. “We’re asking anyone with information on who this driver may have been to come forward and provide answers in this investigation.”

Officers believe the driver of the possibly silver sedan/coupe hit the pair and kept driving east toward Highland Springs.

"Henrico Police asks the public to keep their eyes open in the Newbridge Road/Highland Springs area for this vehicle which may have damage to the front passenger side," officials wrote.

A woman who would like to remain anonymous, lives near the crash scene and says the area is beyond dangerous.

"Right here on this corner, four accidents. Three up there and two over here, including a woman who drove a car into my house," she said.

She also says Bugg's brothers stopped by her home Tuesday afternoon looking for video of the incident.

"She was really trying to protect her baby. It sounds like it was really more than an accident."

Sources tell CBS 6's Jon Burkett that two women setting out on a deck heard what sounded like a cat crying. But when they listened more, they realized it was a child, and found Bugg and her son, Daimonte Jr. in a ditch.

Henrico's Crash Team has pieced together how the crash happened, but since the incident occurred so early in the morning, police said they will need community help to find the driver responsible.

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Investigators do not yet know if alcohol played a factor in the wreck.

There are no sidewalks, a shoulder, or street lights in the area where the mother and toddler were hit, something neighbors said is an ongoing issue since many people walk and bike to the commercial areas near Laburnum from the neighborhoods closer to the Highland Springs community.

Also, multiple neighbors said drivers routinely ignore the 40 mph speed limit in the area, making more dangerous an already tricky transportation area.

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"This particular spot right here sees a lot of accidents," one neighbor, who has lived near the hit-and-run scene for a decade, previously said. "Drivers not paying attention, drivers distracted, drivers going too fast... We definitely need a sidewalk, also, maybe a speed reduction."

“My heart definitely goes out to everyone involved, the victim," the neighbor continued. "I hope whoever hit them will be truthful enough to come forward.”

Police say the suspect's car, possibly a silver sedan, continued driving east toward Highland Springs.

Anyone with information about the car, crash or the person responsible is urged to call Crash Team Investigator R. Hostetler at 804-501-5000. You can also submit tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000 or by using P3tips.com. Crime Stoppers offers rewards up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of a suspect.

This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip .