Hit-and-Run Victim Returns to 'Finish The Ride' After Losing Leg

Damian Kevitt, 38, made a triumphant return to the Los Angeles bicycle community Sunday, completing a six-mile charity ride as part of the inaugural Finish The Ride event.

Damian Kevitt was hailed as a local hero at Finish The Ride 2014. Hundreds gathered for the event in front of the Church of Scientology to applaud his triumphant return to the Los Angeles bicycle community, following a near-fatal hit-and-run accident.

The route today's bicyclists took - from the Church of Scientology on Sunset Boulevard to the Autry National Center in Griffith Park - was the same one Kevitt rode on February 17, 2013, when a hit-and-run accident changed his life.

"I was hit by a car and dragged nearly a quarter of a mile from the streets, down the 5 Freeway, underneath the car," said Kevitt.

"I broke 20 bones [and] lost my leg. And I started the most miraculous, unlucky chain of events you've ever heard."

Kevitt was assigned to a team of doctors who told him he would most likely lose both of his legs. Several predicted he wouldn't live for more than a few days. 

"It was four months in the hospital," remembers Kevitt. "Four long months [and] 11 surgeries."

Dr. Joseph Carey, an extremity salvage specialist who oversaw the reconstruction of Kevitt's left leg, called his recovery "miraculous."

"About three months ago, [he] walked up behind me in the clinic, put his arm around me and said, 'Hey Doc,'" said Dr. Carey, recalling his shock at how quickly Kevitt had adjusted to his prosthetic leg.

"I looked at him and said, 'What?!' And [Kevitt] walked away... because his prosthetic leg is so good, and the leg that we were able to save worked much better than we thought it would."

Although Kevitt survived his accident and was able to recover from the resulting injuries and psychological trauma, not all hit-and-run victims are that lucky. Last year, 41 people died in hit-and-run accidents in L.A. Of the more than 21,000 hit-and-runs that occur each year in L.A., only about one-fifth of the cases are ever solved.

Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) is one of several elected officials pushing for new legislation to increase penalties for people who flee the scene of an accident. He authored AB 1532, a bill that would expand hit-and-run penalties to include automatic license suspension for six months.

Kevitt spoke about the importance of passing new legislation targeting hit-and-run crimes in Los Angeles. He described the act of leaving the scene of an accident as "a symptom of the moral decay of society."

"Cowards should not be driving our streets. You must be a responsible driver and you must stop if you're in an accident, whether it was your fault or not."

Kevitt supports the passage of AB 1532, but said he "has no anger at all" about what happened in Griffith Park last year.

"I'm up and running and achieving things and living my life, but this guy gets to live with knowing what he did - and the fact that he's a coward."

All proceeds from today's event will go towards the Challenged Athletes Foundation and the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition.