An act of kindness meant to help a local man was sabotaged by the callous indifference of a hit and run driver.
Jamie Johnson, 34, of Doniphan, an employee of the McDonalds restaurant, was leaving work on a bicycle thoughtfully donated to him by one of his customers. His shift had ended at about 11 a.m., and he was headed home to his family.
As he was turning right onto Highway 160, Johnson was struck by a black SUV with dark, tinted windows. The vehicle then proceeded to flee the scene of the accident, leaving Johnson in a heap with his bicycle along the side of the road.
Johnson sustained a concussion and hairline fractures from the tailbone to the mid-spine. He was transported to the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center for treatment for his injuries. Because Johnson has a chronic heart condition, he also is under the care of a cardiologist.
Johnson recalls the day of the incident, “The car came out of nowhere. I was stunned and didn’t see what type of car it was.” However, he says he was fortunate that a couple who witnessed the accident provided film of the SUV as it drove off.
Johnson is recovering from his injuries and, after two weeks, is back at his job.
The accident caused undue financial stress to his family. Johnson’s wife, Sheryne, is a stay-at-home mom to their 1-year-old son, Andre, and daughter, Luna, who is nine.
Worse than anything else was how Johnson felt when the driver who hit him “didn’t even have the common courtesy to stop and see if I was still alive,” he says. Had the accident been more serious, he says, “That person could have taken a daddy away from his two little children.”
In spite of the unfortunate outcome, Johnson stated, “I am definitely very grateful to the customer who gave me the bicycle. He had seen me walking to work and wanted to help.”
He stated the customer “comes in early, nearly every morning before we get busy. I still don’t know his name, but if I am working at the window, we always chat.”
The Johnsons are new to the area. They moved to Doniphan two years ago from Mobile, Ala.
He has worked at McDonalds since January 2021, and was, in a recent McDonalds Facebook post, described as “an outstanding crew member” who is “ready to greet our customers with a smile.”
Johnson is once again walking from across the east side of town to work. The bicycle is temporarily out of commission, having sustained a warped wheel.
Johnson states, “I have a neighbor who has offered to replace the wheel for me, which I also appreciate. But I think I feel a little safer just walking.”
The incident is still under investigation. No arrests have been made.