Driver flees after hitting blind man, guide dog

SALEM, Ore. — A blind man and his guide dog are recovering after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in Salem.

Friends say 48-year-old Stephen Murphy is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.

An unknown virus left him blind 16 years ago, but he's never let that stop him from thriving as a loving husband and dedicated massage therapist.

Monday evening, Murphy had dinner and afterward, he and his guide dog Amelia were crossing a road when they were hit by a driver who then took off.

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His wife, who is also blind, said it's been surreal. "You know, I sit on the couch in the morning and I have my coffee and get ready for the day and I listen to the news and I hear about people this happening to them and I'm like 'Who would ever do that?' And now all of a sudden, I'm that news story," Connie Murphy told KOIN.

Her husband has a broken nose, broken ribs, a fractured pelvis and a crushed knee. The black Lab was also injured and is now being cared for by Guide Dogs for the Blind.

On Wednesday police arrested Donald Crume. Investigators say he was driving a friend's car when he hit the victim and his guide dog and took off.

The owner's mechanic saw the damage and alerted the owner, who called police.

CNN/KOIN