POULSBO — When Nina Martin looked up at her friend after being struck by a vehicle the night of Jan. 11, both wondered if the hit-and-run had been intentional.
Walking on the side of the road of Pioneer Way near the Waghorn Way intersection, Martin, 18, said there is no way the driver of the vehicle couldn’t see the two. The intersection has street lights and a blinking light at the intersection. And the two women were walking off the road, right next to the ditch, Martin said.
“I think it must have been a drunk driver,” Martin said Jan. 23 from Harborview Medical Center. “Probably really drunk.”
Martin was hit by the vehicle and thrown into her friend. Both landed in the ditch. Martin was airlifted to Harborview with serious injuries.
Martin has undergone seven surgeries since being struck by the vehicle. The death rate from the operation she had on her pelvis is 40-60 percent, Martin said, referencing what her surgeon told her. She does not expect any surgeries in the near future.
Martin’s friend, 19, was taken to Harrison Medical Center for further evaluation and treatment after being treated at the scene. She has since been released from Harrison.
As of Thursday, the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office was still exploring leads, according to sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Scott Wilson. There was no evidence at the scene.
Though details are fuzzy, Martin believes the vehicle that struck her was a pickup truck, possibly silver or white, with tinted windows. She said she turned her head as the vehicle struck her, seeing it out of the corner of her eye.
“I was in shock, but I’m pretty sure I remember seeing a tailgate speed off,” she said. “It all happened so fast, I’m not even really sure if it was a truck.”
The two women were walking to the friend’s boyfriend’s house. They were about two driveways away when Martin was hit.
Martin used to walk the stretch of road often. She felt safe and did not think she needed to watch behind her.
Martin was released from Harborview this week, and is expected to go through three months of rehabilitation. Recovery has gone well. “I feel much better,” she said.
