A hit and run — where a driver causes damage to you but lacks the compassion to stick around and help — is almost enough to make you lose faith in humanity. Yes, strangers can do malicious things. But they can also do very good things.
A Redditor was looking for help.
u/musicluva04 recently posted in the subreddit r/whatisthisthing , where users seek help in identifying unknown objects. Often they’re looking to get something fairly benign identified. But in this case, the situation was far more serious.
Their family member was injured in a hit and run.
u/musiclova04 simply posted a notice from the police seeking help in identifying a vehicle. In a comment further down, they wrote, “Family member just out of the ICU. Multiple brain surgeries. He shielded his daughter and probably saved her life.”
The driver sped away.
Local news reported that, indeed, 54-year-old Pedro “Pete” Ybarra was crossing the street with his daughter, Larissa, when the incident occurred. Larissa said they heard a loud car speeding their way.
Pete saved his daughter.
She says he managed to throw her out of the way just before the car struck him. “Just like any father, he tried to protect his child and, unfortunately, bore the brunt of the injuries,” said a police official.
The search began.
Grainy surveillance video gave police a lead, but videos like this can leave a lot to be desired. The vehicle was moving quickly, it was dark out, and the plates weren’t visible.
An update!
Police issued a follow-up, this time updated with some info on what kind of vehicle they were looking for. The backstory here is where this story gets really interesting.
It was a GMC Yukon.
A 2015-2019 Yukon, to be exact. The vehicle pictured here may not be the exact model and year, but it’s a truck that looked something like this. But what tipped the police off?
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Thanks, Reddit!
Remember u/musiclova04’s appeal to Reddit to crack the case? It turns out u/edallmightie came through, identifying the vehicle and even pointing out why it’s different from the similar-looking Denali.
More details came in.
u/Miroudias added to the original point, noting that the vehicle color was likely dark sapphire blue metallic, following up their original post with justification for why they think this is the color.
It’s an impressive bit of sleuthing.
The Reddit angle was missed in both the local news reporting as well as the police posters, but it’s worth noting that the Reddit posts were made before anyone else identified the vehicle.
It’s not the first time Reddit’s cracked a case.
It was just two months ago that this image was posted on r/whatisthisthing. Sadly, a cyclist was killed in the collision. But thanks to the subreddit, the make and model of the vehicle was identified.
Sometimes the internet is awesome.
It’s unfortunate that incidents like these happen in the first place. But the fact that internet strangers are willing to take the time and help crack these cases is almost enough to restore your faith in humanity.
How is the victim doing?
u/musiclova04 hasn’t offered an update in awhile, but the last one given sounds promising. Here’s hoping the positive vibes will help Pete Ybarra on what’s likely to be a long road to recovery.
What restores your faith in humanity?
Sometimes, the world seems like a pretty uncaring place. Other times, help can come when you least expect it. Tell us about a time that your hope was restored after a kind gesture from a stranger!
