Aaron Hartmann, the 23-year-old Riverhead man hit by a car on County Road 105 last month and “left for dead” by a hit-and-run driver later apprehended by Southampton Town Police, is recuperating at home from his injuries. He has a long road ahead of him, said his mother, Linda.
Linda Hartmann described her son as “very depressed” and “very frustrated” by both the physical and cognitive problems he’s dealing with after the May 12 accident, which occurred as he was walking home along the side of the four-line divided highway just before 1 a.m.
Hartmann sustained head trauma and a shattered leg. He’s had three surgeries and has begun rehabililtation therapy. He can’t put weight on his leg yet, so he’s confined to a wheelchair. His head injuries left him with vision problems and short-term memory loss, his mother said.
The young man was set to start a new job the week of the accident and is about to become a father, Linda Hartmann said. His girlfriend Emily is due any day, she said.
“He feels useless and is growing very frustrated,” she said. Doctors have told them it may take as much as a year for his cognitive functions to fully return — if they fully return, she said.
To help with his mounting medical and related expenses, family and friends have organized a fundraiser to be held on Tuesday, June 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Athens Grill on East Main Street. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be served. There will be a free-will collection, a 50-50 raffle and a chinese auction, Linda Hartmann said.
“People have been very supportive and for that we are very grateful,” she said.
Hartmann was actually acquainted with the young woman who stands accused of running him down and leaving the scene, his mother said. The woman’s brother was a casual friend of Aaron’s, Linda Hartmann said.
Jacqueline Celentano, 21, of Calverton, was arrested May 14, after Southampton Town Police investigators located her damaged vehicle at a home in Riverside, where, they say, she tried to hide it. She was charged with a felony count of leaving the scene of an accident with personal injury. Celentano pleaded not guilty to the charge and was freed on $30,000 bail. Police said more charges could be forthcoming.
Photo caption: Aaron Hartmann at home Sunday afternoon.
RiverheadLOCAL photo courtesy of Linda Hartmann
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