A Houston woman survived a violent hit-and-run crash that flipped her SUV. Her family is offering a $10,000 reward as police search for the driver.

HOUSTON — Dramatic surveillance video captures the hit-and-run crash that left a Houston woman bruised, battered and grateful to be alive. Now, she’s sharing her story in hopes of raising awareness about the dangers of hit-and-run crashes and encouraging anyone with information to come forward.

Experts say hit-and-run crashes are becoming more common in Texas, and drivers who flee the scene can face serious criminal consequences.



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Elise Wawi is still recovering after another driver slammed into her white SUV, sending it airborne before it rolled over.

“I’m feeling grateful because I made it out of this alive,” Wawi said.

Surveillance video shows the other vehicle speeding away before Wawi’s SUV had even come to a stop. She was forced to climb out of the mangled vehicle on her own.

The crash happened early Friday morning near Gessner Road and Westheimer Road.

“I still get flashbacks to the car flipping once, twice, and the glass breaking while I was screaming. That’s still very vivid in my head,” she said.

Photos shared with KHOU 11 show Wawi recovering in the hospital and reveal the extensive damage to her SUV.

“My first thought, after thanking God that I was still alive, was that I needed to call my dad,” she said.

While her physical injuries are healing, the emotional impact remains. Her father, Eli Wawi, has been helping her through the aftermath.

“I went blank for a couple of seconds,” he said.

He later returned to the crash scene to search for evidence.

“I started taking pictures and looking for any evidence, and I found what I believe is a piece of the bumper from the car that hit her,” he said.

According to AAA, hit-and-run crashes have continued to increase nationwide.

“We have to get the message out to all drivers that leaving the scene of a crash is only going to make a bad situation even worse,” said Doug Shupe, public affairs manager for AAA.

While there’s little a victim can do to stop a driver from fleeing in the moment, the AAA Foundation says several measures could help reduce hit-and-run crashes.

“Automatic crash notification systems in vehicles, as well as smartphones, can speed up emergency response after a crash. Roadway improvements and stronger law enforcement can also help,” Shupe said.

For the Wawi family, forgiveness remains in their hearts, but so do difficult questions.

“The part that keeps coming back to me is, how can someone with any kind of conscience hit a person, think they may have killed them, and immediately drive away?” Eli Wawi said.

The family is offering a private $10,000 reward for credible information that leads to an arrest and ultimately a conviction.

KHOU 11 legal analyst Carmen Roe said a driver who leaves the scene of a crash involving injuries can face misdemeanor or felony charges, depending on the severity of those injuries. Convictions can carry penalties ranging from one to five years in prison.

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