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<\/p>\nA 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.<\/p>\n
HOUSTON \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
Experts say hit-and-run crashes are becoming more common in Texas, and drivers who flee the scene can face serious criminal consequences.<\/p>\n
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Elise Wawi is still recovering after another driver slammed into her white SUV, sending it airborne before it rolled over.<\/p>\n
“I’m feeling grateful because I made it out of this alive,” Wawi said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The crash happened early Friday morning near Gessner Road and Westheimer Road.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Photos shared with KHOU 11 show Wawi recovering in the hospital and reveal the extensive damage to her SUV.<\/p>\n
“My first thought, after thanking God that I was still alive, was that I needed to call my dad,” she said.<\/p>\n
While her physical injuries are healing, the emotional impact remains. Her father, Eli Wawi, has been helping her through the aftermath.<\/p>\n
“I went blank for a couple of seconds,” he said.<\/p>\n
He later returned to the crash scene to search for evidence.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
According to AAA, hit-and-run crashes have continued to increase nationwide.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
For the Wawi family, forgiveness remains in their hearts, but so do difficult questions.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
The family is offering a private $10,000 reward for credible information that leads to an arrest and ultimately a conviction.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n