The search for a man who fled the scene of a car crash comes to a close. The man is back safe Thursday night after spending 24 hours in a corn field, badly injured, scared and alone.
Authorities have been looking for him since yesterday after he ran from the scene of a fatal crash. An 80-year old Savanna man is dead after authorities say he crossed the center line, hitting a car driven by 27-year old Montero Badera-Aguilar.
The Carroll County Sheriff says Badera-Aguilar panicked and ran off into a cornfield near "Krazy Acres" on Route 84 in Thomson.
Initial reports stated he was armed with a weapon, but the sheriff says witnesses have changed their stories and a weapon was probably not involved.
The Carroll County Sheriff says what started as a manhunt, soon turned into a rescue mission: "This guy could be injured, we want to help someone that's been injured," Sheriff Jeff Doran says.
The Carroll County Sheriff's Department, along with ten other agencies, four K-9 units and two thermal imaging planes have finally found this man.
"Two of the migrant worker supervisors actually went back out in the field and located the subject," Doran says, "He (Badera-Aguilar) was pretty badly injured, scared, wouldn't come in with them."
Authorities say the man is a migrant worker who is employed at McGinnis Melons in Thomson, along with many other migrant workers who helped search for him. TV6 talked to a coworker today who didn't want to be identified, but says they're glad they found him.
"Somebody's out there in a cornfield, we don't know how badly he's hurt, we know something really bad happened back there, but lucky he came back," the man says.
Witnesses say Badera-Aguilar looked badly injured, with possibly cracked ribs and a shattered pelvis, after running from the scene of an accident.
"He was just scared, because the other car came into his lane, he thought it was his fault but the officer said it wasn't his fault," the coworker says.
Authorities say he didn't cause the fatal crash, but may be in some trouble with the law.
"His card we have in possession shows him to be a legal resident, however we believe the card may not be a legal card," the Sheriff says.
Right now the man is recovering in the hospital, but if his papers don't check out, the Sheriff says he may be deported.
Sheriff Doran tells TV6 the man could face serious misdemeanor charges for leaving the scene of an accident. He was taken to a Clinton hospital after he was found, but no word on his condition as of Thursday night.
