Hit-and-run investigation ongoing
By Jon Johnson
PIMA – Thatcher Middle School Principal Jessica Medlin was released from a Mesa rehabilitation center and returned to her home in Pima on Saturday to continue healing after being struck by a truck while jogging.
Medlin was jogging eastbound on the northern dirt shoulder of 200 North (Tripp Canyon) in the early morning of Thursday, Jan. 9, when a truck heading eastbound came up from behind her, crossed over the westbound lane onto the shoulder, and struck her.
Medlin suffered severe skull fractures and broken ribs and was bleeding from her brain. She has been released to continue her rehabilitation from her home. And while it is a long road, she is expected to make a full recovery.
According to Pima Police Chief Diane Cauthen, Medlin was initially transported from the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center to the Safford Regional Airport, where she was flown to a Tucson hospital on a fixed-wing aircraft, using a plane instead of the helicopter service, possibly due to inclement weather.
Medlin is an avid jogger and frequently jogs a 15-mile route from her residence, which is roughly 1 mile away from where she was located. She said she was wearing a headlamp and a bright white jacket the day she was struck. She was also jogging on the dirt shoulder facing oncoming traffic and was struck from behind by a truck that crossed the center line and over the next lane onto the dirt shoulder.
A passerby noticed her injured and stopped to render aid and call 9-1-1. at about 5:30 a.m. The vehicle that struck her was not in the area. Pima Police have served warrants on a suspect but no arrest has yet to be made. The investigation is ongoing.
