NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — It was just after 7 a.m. on Feb. 28 when Donasia Lee, a proud member of Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, was crossing at Park Avenue and Virginia Beach Boulevard when she was struck by a hit-and-run driver.
She was on her way to Booker T. Washington High School.
According to her mother, the left side of her face and skull were fractured and the resulting traumatic brain injury left her in a coma for weeks.
“She had a breathing tube. She was on a ventilator the first few weeks. They had her on the Arctic Sun to regulate her body temperature. They had her on a cooling blanket — now all of that is gone,” said her mother, Christina Lee.
Since the crash, the mother of six and her mother have spent days and nights at the teenager’s side while their church family at Second Calvary Baptist Church kept the family in prayer.
Lee used to work full-time at a fast-food restaurant, but now she works only three days a week. She established a GoFundMe page to help with expenses.
Late Tuesday night, Donasia was transferred to a step-down unit. The girl who was in a coma for weeks now has periods of being awake that can last up to 30 minutes. She can move both arms and both legs and her mother says Donasia moves her lips as if she is trying to speak.
(Photo courtesy: Christina Lee)
Forty-four days later, there’s not one word on who hit a child and left her for dead. With no video and no witnesses, even the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi says the case may never be solved.
Last month, 10 On Your Side’s Regina Mobley walked part of the dangerous route many students take when walking to Booker T. Washington High School. 10 On Your Side showed viewers the dangers after Donasia’s pastor expressed concerns for Booker T. Washington and Ruffner Academy students who must cross major highways such as Tidewater Drive to reach their schools.
Regina Mobley: “Are you concerned that what happened to your daughter on any given day can happen to another child?”
Christina Lee: “Yes, and it will if they don’t do something about it.”
Lee also told 10 On Your Side she has lost confidence in the police investigation, adding that she has not heard from investigators since mid-March.
Additionally, Second Calvary Pastor Rev. Geoffrey Guns told 10 On Your Side, that since he first raised safety concerns for walkers, he has not heard from a single official from City Hall, City Council, and the Norfolk Police Department.
Guns said he plans to bring the matter before the full City Council in the next week.
Meanwhile, the Lee family is grateful for the public’s support and prayers. Lee says if Donasia starts to show cognitive progress, she will be transferred to Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk for rehabilitation.