NEWS
Police find suspect in hit-and-run
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by Courtney Johnson
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Madison police found a van earlier this week that may have been involved in a March pedestrian hit-and-run at the intersection of Park and Regent streets.
The victim, 20-year-old Lucas Peerenboom of Madison, eventually died of injuries sustained after he was reportedly hit by a dark-colored minivan with tinted windows when walking home at 2 a.m.
Mike Hanson, public information officer for the Madison Police Department, said the tip came after a second story was aired on the crash. The MPD estimated the vehicle had sustained front-end damage as a result of the crash, according to police reports.
"A person who works on windshields had seen the story by chance, and had a recollection that he had replaced a windshield on a dark-colored van that somewhat matched our description," Hanson said.
The MPD seized the van, which is now being analyzed at the State Crime Lab. The van's owner, who has yet to be named, is not in custody, and Hanson said more investigation would need to be done before an arrest could be made.
"When we interviewed the owner of the van, he said that he did have his windshield replaced, but it was because he had hit a deer," Hanson said. "He described where he had hit the deer and the timeframe, and none of those times matched up with the county department who removes dead animals from the roadway."
The crime lab's analysis will include searching for deer remnants, such as blood or fur, on the vehicle, Hanson said.
Hanson emphasized the MPD has not officially determined this van was involved in the incident. There has also yet to be any indication as to whether or not alcohol played a role in the incident.
Peerenboom was a student at Madison Area Technical College who had expressed interest in transferring to the University of Wisconsin. He had been in a coma at UW Hospital until life support was removed and he succumbed to his injuries.
Anonymous (April 26, 2007 @ 2:42am):
Maybe Victor or Stemme care to comment?
-The Posse
Anonymous (April 30, 2007 @ 5:58pm):
Luke was a man that his family and friends were proud to be part of his life. As you know, a miracle was not meant to be for our family. However, we hope that after Luke's passing, his donated organs were able to assist in a miracle for another family. Even in death, he helped others. He did NOT deserve to die this way.
We all realize that accidents happen and also know that people make mistakes. It's how we handle those mistakes that define the people we want to be, or person we actually become. In this case, the driver of the vehicle who hit Luke and chose to leave the scene, continued to make bad decisions. By not coming forward after the fact and trying to hide what you did, defines the person you are. We really can't imagine anyone being proud of the person you are, including your family and friends.
Please continue to keep Luke, his family, and friends in your thoughts and prayers.
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