Crash victim speaks out

The suspected driver in a violent Safety Harbor crash last month was arrested on Thursday. Now, the victim of the accident is speaking out. 18-year-old Andrew Hall is in intensive care at Bayfront Medical Center. He has made some improvements, but he still has a long way to go. Hall told FOX 13 that he is pleased about the arrest of Joshua West. “I’m just thankful to be alive,” Hall says. “Giving up is not an option.” Hall doesn’t remember the night of April 19th. “Things happen in life and…everything happens for a reason,” he says. Hall has seen pictures of the accident that happened three and a half weeks ago. A car ran him over as he was standing in front of his apartment on Main Street in Safety Harbor. Hall’s leg was severed, his pelvis was broken, and his lungs collapsed. The 18-year-old nearly died from his injuries. “We’ve been on rollercoaster emotionally,” Hanyn Arana, a father figure to Hall, says. “Every day. Every day. Some days he’s in a good mood. Some days he’s down, but he’s fighting. He’s fighting so hard.” The suspected driver, 24-year-old Joshua West, roamed free until Thursday. That’s

when U.S. Marshalls arrested him in Pasco County on probabtion violations in Hillsborough County, relating to drug charges and reckless driving. West is at the Hillsborough County Jail without bond. “I can sleep at night knowing that he’s there,” said Tina Hall, Andrew’s sister. “At least I know he can’t hurt nobody else.” West has not been charged in the Safety Harbor crash, but the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office expects that he will be. “Great things come to those who wait, so I’m just being patient,” Andrew Hall says. “Yeah, I forgive him, but he still needs to be punished.” The investigation is ongoing and the Sheriff’s Office is not yet releasing the results of West’s blood alcohol tests. Recovering from these injuries isn’t the first hard fight Hall has faced. He has struggled with cerebral palsy his entire life. Walking was a challenge he overcame. “I have no loss of respect for God or hate for God,” Hall says. “It’s just very tragic and hurtful. Do I wonder why it happened? Sure. Have I figured it out yet? No.”

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Crash victim speaks out

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