GLEN BURNIE, Md. — It's been days since Sheila Kyler has received the daily phone call from her son she's become so accustomed to. Instead, this past weekend she got a call every mother fears.
"I didn't recognize the number, so they called back at 7. 'Hello?'" Kyler recalled saying. "And the dreaded question: 'Are you the mother of Emmanuel Kyler?'"
Around 2 a.m. on Saturday, 22-year-old Emmanuel - known to friends as "Manny" - was waiting for an Uber in a shopping center after a night out with friends near Glen Burnie. For an unknown reason he began to walk by himself down Dorsey Road, near the airport loop.
A mother's plea to the community after hit-and-run leaves 22-year-old critically injured
Anne Arundel County Police say they received multiple 911 calls from drivers about someone walking along the poorly lit road, worried he might get hit. Officers headed out to find him, but it was too late.
He was struck by a car, and the driver took off.
"It was an accident, and accidents happen. Why didn't you just stay? Why didn't you call the police?" his mother wonders. "They just left them on the side of the street, like he was an animal, like he was roadkill, like he was nothing."
A second car hit him as he lay in the road. But that time, the driver did stop, and gave him CPR. Police say the second driver may very well have saved Emmanuel's life.
He's in critical condition at University of Maryland Medical Center's Shock Trauma center in Baltimore, with several broken limbs, spinal cord trauma and head trauma.
"He's got rods, he's got screws in all parts of his body that he'll have the rest of his life," Kyler said through tears. "So I told my son, you fight in there and I'm gonna fight out here."
She wants justice.
Without video of the incident, investigators have little information to go on. A piece of a bronze vehicle was found at the scene.
"So if anyone does come across a bronze car that has damage to the front end, please report that to the police because it very well could be the vehicle that was involved," David Ellin, attorney for the family, told WMAR-2 News.
Anne Arundel County Police say no amount of information is too small. If you saw anything, or know anything about this incident, you're asked to give the Crash Investigations team a call: 410-222-8573
"I believe in the power of prayer, so if nothing else, if nothing else comes from this, I just ask that just say a prayer for Emmanuel," Kyler said.
Just a few weeks ago, Emmanuel graduated from the University of Maryland where he studied business administration.
Described by his family as infectious, spunky, smart, a leader, and the life of a party.. it seems natural he has dreams of a career in event planning.
"No 22-year-old should have to endure this," Kyler said. "He should be out here having fun. It's the summer time. He's like, 'Ma I just wanna enjoy my summer.' Because all he did was work and go to school. This was his first summer he'll be able to really have fun. But he's sitting in a hospital room."
