Good Samaritan run down while helping highway crash victim

By Dave Toplikar

Thursday, May 16, 2013 | 9:15 a.m.

A man trying to help another driver suffered severe injuries in a hit-and-run accident early today on an on-ramp to U.S. 95 at Decatur Boulevard.

The injured man was taken to University Medical Center, where he was in critical condition, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Loy Hixson said. The man’s identity has not yet been released.

The incident happened about 4:10 a.m., shortly after a single-vehicle crash on the same on-ramp, Hixson said.

A woman who was driving a green Toyota Scion had lost control of the car and hit a concrete barrier wall, Hixson said. The woman, who was not injured, was taken into police custody on suspicion of DUI, Hixson said.

While the woman was stopped, a man got out of his vehicle to try to help her. Witnesses said he was hit by a white Mitsubishi, which left the scene west on U.S. 95, Hixson said.

Witnesses followed the Mitsubishi and notified authorities, who arrested the driver a few minutes later, Hixson said.

Officers found the Mitsubishi in a parking lot on Jones Boulevard, where the driver and a passenger were changing a flat tire, police said. That driver, who has not yet been identified, was taken into custody, Hixson said.