Six weeks after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in downtown Evanston, Archana Sriram can finally move her jaw again.
While the Weinberg senior is getting better each day, police are still struggling to find the yellow Hummer that hit her that Thursday morning. The pace of the investigation has frustrated Sriram’s parents as their daughter looks forward to getting back to her old self.
One of Sriram’s favorite activities was biking down Lake Shore Drive with friends, using the blue water of Lake Michigan as the backdrop.
Twice a week, she would head to Hidden Peak Gym in Chicago for a climbing lesson. On weekends she would attend bike shows, and she also protested against the war in Iraq in Chicago.
All of that changed Feb. 16 when a Hummer struck Sriram at Lake Street and Sherman Avenue while she was riding her bike. The impact knocked her about 15 feet into the air, fracturing her pelvis and breaking her right leg. The driver fled the scene.
Because she cannot put too much pressure on her leg, Sriram has been unable to walk or stand for long periods of time without bracing on an object for support.
The accident also completely dislocated her lower jaw, which broke in three places, and broke her upper jaw in the middle. With her jaw wired shut, Sriram could not eat solid foods or even open her mouth to speak.
But Thursday afternoon Sriram received a small blessing during her long recovery: The rubber bands that kept her jaw in place for the past several weeks finally came off.
With the rubber bands gone, Sriram chewed food and talked for the first time since mid-February.
She was clearly excited to stop eating liquefied ham, as she spoke through her teeth.
“The first thing I’m going to eat is broccoli,” Sriram said with a laugh. “I’ve been dying for broccoli.”
It’s a big step for Sriram, who has been searching for normalcy. She has kept her mind and body active by going to the gym in Houston, where she lives with her parents.
While Sriram tries to regain the life she once had, Evanston police continue to look for the unknown driver.
Police have examined hundreds of leads but have not found the driver, Police Chief Frank Kaminski said. Earlier this year, officials at the Evanston Police Department received a list of registered Hummer H2s from the Illinois Secretary of State.
“There’s quite a few, and then you have to find the right one,” Kaminski said.
Police do not have a description of the driver. Kaminski urged anyone with information to come forward.
“Someone had to have seen something,” he said. “That’s the key.”
In the meantime, Sriram and her family struggle to understand why the owner of the yellow Hummer has not been found. Sriram’s father regularly calls the police department for new information, and they continue to tell him that they have some leads, Sriram said.
“I don’t know what that means.” she said. “It would be nice to hear that they’ve knocked down half the list. It just seems that the longer it takes, the further away the owner of the Hummer is going to feel from this situation.”
Her mother, Sheila Sriram, said she only hopes police keep searching for the responsible party. The driver brought her daughter’s life to a standstill, she said.
The injuries forced Sriram to stop school and it is unclear when she will graduate. The driver will pay for his actions, Sheila Sriram said.
“It’s unbelievable what this person has done to her,” she said. “I don’t know how he sleeps at night. He has no conscience. Somehow God will get him, and (his punishment) will be even worse.”
Until then, Sriram said she is determined not to miss out on life. She registered for the Chicago Triathlon, which takes place August 25 to 27. She does some weight training, biking and swimming in preparation for the events. Training for the triathlon is her motivation, she said.
“Sometimes you just feel sorry for yourself, but I just have to think of the future,” Sriram said. “My goal is not to go back to 100 percent. It’s to go back to 200 percent.”
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