San Diegan Cyndy Campbell says her life hasn’t been the same since the day she became the victim of a high-profile hit-and-run last summer during a Comic-Con event dubbed “Zombie Walk.”
“What happened to me on that day was actually life-altering,” Campbell told NBC 7 in an interview Thursday.
On July 26, 2014, Campbell was taking photographs as a spectator at a Zombie Walk event in downtown San Diego. In an instant, she became the victim of a hit-and-run when the driver of a black Honda Accord struck her near 2nd and Island avenues.
"There was a stoppage in the road with the car honking, so I'm of course going through this kind of quickly. I had the sense of being hit. I went down. I came to in a very chaotic environment,” Campbell recounted.
“I realized something bad had happened but I wasn't really clear of the details,” she continued.
The whole ordeal was recorded on cell phones by other spectators at the Zombie Walk.
It’s been eight months since the accident and even now Campbell says the footage is difficult to watch.
“The first time I watched it was very powerful for me. The audio was very powerful as well,” she said.
This week Campbell filed a lawsuit against the City of San Diego and Michael Pocci, the deaf driver charged in the hit-and-run. Pocci faces a felony count of reckless driving resulting in a serious injury.
He has pleaded not guilty, saying the crowd was out of control and he feared for his family's safety. During an interview with NBC 7, Pocci offered an apology to Campbell.
When asked how his explanation and apology made her feel, Campbell responded, "I really don't even have an opinion at this point.”
Today, Campbell says her focus is on healing the physical and emotional scars left behind by the accident.
"Emotionally it's altered who I was, who I used to be,” she explained. “I'm much more cautious; I don't feel as safe as I used to.”
“The ramifications and the impact – it’s been eight months and it’s challenging to do some things physically, emotionally,” she added.
Pocci faces three years in prison if convicted. He has filed a lawsuit against the City of San Diego for poor crowd control during the event.
