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Hit-and-run driver turns himself, tells authorities he 'panicked' after hitting 61-year-old woman

The 21-year-old Lawrence man told authorities that he was running late to school and did not see the woman until he hit her.

ARLINGTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A 21-year-old Lawrence man may face charges after he hit a 61-year-old woman and drove off.

According to the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office, it happened around 9:10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 7 in the area of County Road 215 and 32nd Avenue. 

Deputies were called to the area on reports of a hit and run accident and found a 61-year-old Lawrence woman laying in the ditch on the east side of County Road. She had "an obvious injury to her left leg," the sheriff's office detailed.

The victim told deputies she was walking to the corner to catch a bus when she was hit from behind. She was taken to the hospital. 

The suspect driver, the 21-year-old Lawrence man, later called the Van Buren County Central Dispatch and told a dispatcher that he hit a woman with his car but fled the area. He eventually turned himself in to the Bangor Police Department were he was interviewed.

The driver said he was running late to school and did not see the victim until he hit her, according to a release from the sheriff's office. The driver told deputies that he "panicked" and was unsure of what to do, so he drove off.

The sheriff's office does not suspect alcohol or drugs to be factors in the crash, but say the report will be sent to the 7th West Prosecutor's Office for review.

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