Son of victim in deadly hit-and-run urges driver to come forward

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Four days after a deadly hit-and-run in south Minneapolis, the victim's family is stepping up their efforts to find the fleeing motorist who sped away from the scene Sunday night.

Barb Mahigel’s family and friends are devastated. Her son, Mike, told Fox 9 the longer this hit-and-run driver tries to hide, the harder it will be for everyone.

“I am mad,” said Mike. “Slightly empathetic to the person who did this. I can only see it as a mistake.”

Mistake or not, Mike Mahigel demanded that the driver, who killed his mom, do the right thing now and go to the police.

“They will slip,” he said. “And they will be caught eventually and the longer that goes on, the worse consequences will be.”

Mike is an only child, who describes himself as frostbitten over the loss of his mom.

“Her passion was the poor,” he said. “Her level of empathy and compassion was far beyond anything I’ll be able to provide anyone. Frankly, she was grace personified.”

Barb and her husband Lou were out Sunday evening together, celebrating their 52nd wedding anniversary.

They were so excited to try the wildly popular south Minneapolis restaurant Revival when tragedy struck.

They were crossing busy Nicollet Avenue. Lou was guiding Barb half-a-step behind when an eyewitness reports a speeding motorist in a dark colored sedan struck the 74-year old retired teacher.

“Essentially, she was swept right out from under him,” said Mike.

Lou narrowly escaped significant injury himself.

“He’s not well after losing his best friend of 52 years,” said Mike. “I can’t even begin to comprehend where he is right now.”

At a time when the Mahigel family should be celebrating the holiday season, they were instead on Thursday finalizing memorial service and funeral arrangements.

Now four days after the hit-and-run, the family is desperate for someone to come forward with information to provide them a small piece of closure through all the pain.

The funeral and memorial service for Barbara Mahigel is on Dec. 17 at Good Samaritan United Methodist Church in Edina at 10 a.m.