NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Long Island tennis coach Jayne Alterman was seriously injured when she was struck by a hit-and-run driver last week, leaving her on a long road to recovery.
“I got hit by a truck, by a Dodge Ram, I flew down to the ground,” Alterman told 1010 WINS. “I broke my tibia and my wrist.”
Alterman, of East Meadow, was hit while leaving a concert at Westbury Music Fair at about 11 p.m. on Friday. She was walking with her husband and the rest of the crowd on a sidewalk in the parking lot toward their cars on Brush Hollow Road when the pick-up truck struck her.
“Do they realize what they do affects other people’s lives in such a dramatic way? It could have killed me,” Alterman said.
She was transported to an area hospital by ambulance and said that the ride was “very painful” as she traveled over bumps with her broken bones.
The beloved tennis coach, 63, said that she will not be able to coach for many months, and her injuries will keep her from playing with her young grandchildren, with whom she is typically very active.
Despite the setbacks and her desire for the driver to get caught, Alterman said that she will forgive the person who hit her, as she believes it is the right thing to do.
“I’m going to forgive this person because I can’t live any other way, but my daughter has 3 little kids under 4. She needs my help,” Alterman said. “I have a 95-year-old mother. Does this guy know who he hit?”
Police are investigating the incident. Anyone with information is asked to come forward.