LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Standing near the intersection of Lexington Road and Payne Street, during the chaos of rush hour, all Emily Ferrell could hear was silence.
"Well, the silence is deafening," she said. "Things can change in the blink of an eye and this is a perfect example."
It's been more than a week since her friend Michael Allen lost his life crossing the road in the Irish Hill neighborhood.
According to the police report, Allen ran into the street, against the crosswalk, when 23-year-old Chris Dzaringa hit him. Dzaringa had a green light at the time, police said, but video from a nearby business shows he kept driving without stopping to check on Allen.
"[Dzaringa] did not break," Ferrell said. "Given that this [road] is a straight shot. He had plenty of time."
Friends said Allen was on his way home from a 12-hour shift when the incident happened on Jan. 18. According to court documents, Dzaringa told police he hit "what he thought was a brown ball."
"Where would that ball have come from? At that time of night? You're not even near the park, if that's what he was thinking," Ferrell said. "He knows what he did. That's the fact of the matter. He knows what he did. And he ran from that."
In court Thursday, Dzaringa pleaded not guilty to charges including leaving the scene of an accident with serious injury, and driving with a suspended license.
"I want justice for him and all the other Michaels [out there]," Ferrell said.
Allen had been staying with Ferrell, her partner and two kids for the better part of a year before his death. She said the thing she'll miss the most about Michael is his dedication to his 4-year-old daughter.
"What I'll miss the most is him talking about his daughter and all the plans that he had for her future. And now that's been stripped away from her," she said.
Ferrell questioned why prosecutors didn't charge Dzaringa with a more serious charge, like vehicular manslaughter.
"I think that there is more investigation that needs to go into the situation at night," Ferrell said.
Defense attorney Karl Price said for murder charges, the law evaluates the conduct of a suspect before the death occurs, as opposed to after the death; in this instance, leaving the scene.
"When you have someone operating on a suspended or revoked driver's license, that means that the privilege to operate a motor vehicle has been revoked, and because has been revoked that conduct in and of itself getting behind that wheel may be enough for the reckless conduct that for, for some, for prosecutors, and law enforcement to then elevate the charge to murder or manslaughter," he said.
But above all else, Ferrell hopes Allen's death serves as a word of warning to other drivers, to pay attention while on the road.
"I don't want there to be more Michaels. I'm tired of hearing about hitting runs," she said. "This very well could have been prevented."
If you would like to help, you can check out a gofundme his friends started here.
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