By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-06 21:11:34 | Updated at 2025-01-08 03:18:29
1 day ago
An elderly hospital volunteer was killed in a grisly hit-and-run crash in California - and her rescued therapy Labrador was there to comfort her as she breathed her last.
Nikki Rash, 78, was struck down by an SUV outside Long Beach Memorial hospital on December 26, while with her dog Gabby. The driver is still at large.
Rash died on Saturday after suffering head injuries and being placed on life support in the ICU, her son Chris Rash said.
In a heartbreaking twist Gabby - who Rash had trained to help other patients at the hospital - remained by her side as she slipped away.
'The neck injury and brain injury she sustained, she was being kept alive on machines and so after 10 days we honored her health care directive,' he told KTLA5. 'We let her go peacefully.'
Chris said his mother was only a few blocks away from her home in the Bixby Knolls area when she was hit by a driver who ran a red light.
Long Beach Police Department said officers were called to the intersection of California Avenue and San Antonio Drive at around 4.45pm on Boxing Day.
Detectives said a male driver briefly exited the vehicle which struck rash, but quickly got back in before driving away.
Cops have not described the suspect yet, but said he was driving a tan-colored Toyota Avalon sedan.
Nikki Rash is pictured with therapy dog Gabby during her final days. Rash trained Gabby to comfort other patients and the dog ended up staying with her owner as she succumbed to her injuries following a hit-and-run
Rash was struck down by a hit-and-run driver outside Long Beach Memorial Hospital December 26
Surveillance footage of the vehicle showed it was badly damaged at the front end.
Police said Rash did not want medical attention after she was hit, but took herself to the hospital later in the evening.
'At that point in time, she was complaining of severe headache and neck pain,' Chris told KTLA.
He added that his mother met her family later that night, and she had no recollection of the crash.
The pensioner eventually went to the Long Beach Memorial hospital, where she was in a coma and underwent brain surgery before being placed on life support.
Rash was well known at the hospital for volunteering by visiting patients with her two rescue Labrador Retrievers, Dutch and Gabby.
Andrew Lesser, president of Southern California Labrador Retriever Rescue (SCLRR), told KTLA the nurses at the ICU had been 'very kind' to Rash.
'They gave special permission for Nikki's service dog Gabby to visit with her,' he said.
Cops have said the suspect was driving a tan-colored Toyota Avalon sedan (pictured)
Rash died on Saturday after suffering head injuries and being placed on life support in the ICU, her son Chris Rash said
Rash, 78, was struck down by an SUV outside Long Beach Memorial hospital on December 26, while with her Labrador Retriever Gabby. The driver is still at large
Lesser added that Rash's loss would be heavily felt at SCLRR, where she had been volunteering for more than a decade.
'This shouldn't have happened,' he told KTLA. 'Somebody needs to pay for this. Whoever did this needs to pay.'
The 78-year-old's heartbroken family have appealed for the driver and any witnesses to come forward.
'We also ask that the person who did this step up and take ownership of what they did,' Chris told KTLA. 'They made a mistake and they need to step up.'
Anyone with information should contact Long Beach Police at 562-570-7355, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
