Pregnant woman seriously injured in Durham hit-and-run

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- A pregnant 18-year-old is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries after an SUV slammed into her car in Durham.

The crash happened around 7:30 p.m. Saturday on S. Briggs Avenue.

Heven Rooks, 18 was driving north on Briggs when a 2002 Cadillac Escalade traveling south crashed into her. Rooks, who is eight months pregnant, was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

John Rooks, Heven's father, said his daughter had to be rushed into an emergency C-section.

Her newborn daughter, Za'riyah, is recovering in the NICU, but Rooks said Heven is still being treated for a blood clot in her lungs.

The driver of the Cadillac kept going after the crash. A little while later, the same driver crashed into and broke two power poles on S. Driver Street.

They drove off again but soon abandoned the banged-up Cadillac on E. Peabody Street.

"I just wish the driver would have stayed so that way we can address the issue right at hand," said Rooks. "If this person could possibly come forward, to me, this could be something they could teach someone else. Like hey, these are the things that happen when you do what I did."

Demesha Williamson, who is the newborn's paternal grandmother, said Heven was leaving Williamson's home on Saturday night when she was hit, Williamson said she has complained about speeding cars on Briggs Avenue for years. Soon after moving to the neighborhood several years ago, Williamson said she petitioned the City of Durham for speed bumps but was denied.

Williamson said though she has never noticed the Cadillac Escalade on her street before, she regularly sees cars driving too fast and running the stop sign at Briggs Avenue and Harvard Avenue.

The driver remains unidentified and at large.