Hit-and-run victim recovers at home; police search for driver

MIAMI (WSVN) -- A hit-and-run victim is now home from the hospital, just days after he was struck on a scooter.

Luis Cruz is determined to find out who hit him and left him for dead on a Miami bridge. He visited the scene of the crime on a walker Tuesday, and is desperate to find witnesses just hours after being released from Jackson Memorial Hospital. "Before Saturday I never thought," said Cruz, "maybe I was a little naive but I never thought that people like that existed."

Cruz was heading home from his job as an assistant manager at a pizza restaurant when he was struck on his scooter near Northwest 16th Street and 22nd Avenue in Miami.

He suffered a shattered knee cap, and several cuts and bruises that left him hospitalized. His wife is thankful for his life. "We've learned not to take things for granted," said his wife Gema Acosta, "and to see our family every day and spend time with them and remember to say 'I love you'."

Luis expressed gratitude to be back with his daughters, who are 13 and 3 years old, as well as his beloved grandmother. "That's the one person that raised me since the age of seven that I have," said Cruz with tears in his eyes. "And she's there you know, most likely at home, watching me on television, you know, calling me every 15 to 20 minutes, asking how I am."

He's grateful so many people from his past have reconnected after his accident, but he and Miami Police need more help to solve this crime. "That one person that I need to care," said Cruz. "You know, one person that needs to turn themselves in and just say hell with whatever the consequences is, it's just the right thing to do. I need that person to come forward."

If you have any information on this hit-and-run driver, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

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