Teen hurt in hit and run

Authorities are looking for a sport utility vehicle responsible for striking a 14-year-old Gardnerville boy at Douglas Avenue and Mill Street, then leaving the scene of the accident.

Cole Sonnemann was on his way home from Carson Valley Middle School on Friday afternoon when he encountered a gray Suburban stopped on Douglas Avenue.

Cole, the son of Douglas County Assessor Doug Sonnemann, made his way across the south side of Mill Street and into the intersection

"He said she was stopped at the sign," said Cole's mother, Val Sonnemann. "He started to walk across the street when he said he caught a glimpse of movement and saw the Suburban coming at him. He said the driver was staring straight ahead."

The vehicle's left front struck the eighth-grader's hip and knocked him to the ground.

By the time Cole was able to look after the departing vehicle, it had almost reached High School Street and he couldn't read the license plate number but said it was a Nevada sunset plate. No one witnessed the accident, which occurred at about 2:20 p.m.

"Cole stumbled to the corner and sat down for a bit and then he walked home and called me on my cell phone," Sonnemann said. "I thought he'd been hit on Highway 395. He's had some close calls by Two Guys from Italy. But Douglas and Mill is a four-way stop."

Cole was taken for treatment at Minden Medical Center and then transferred to Renown Medical Center where he was examined.

"The doctors didn't see anything, but said there might be a hidden fracture," she said. "For the time being he's on crutches. He's one sore kid."

Cole went to school on Monday, though he didn't walk.

Sonnemann said she and Cole stopped at the intersection on the way home.

"It is incomprehensible to me that someone wouldn't stop the car and call for help after hitting a teenager," she said. "She stopped at the stop sign. What more can you do? Douglas Avenue is a residential street. People walk up and down Douglas all the time."

Sonnemann said she wanted to make people aware and hoped Cole's experience would help someone else avoid being hurt.

Douglas County Sheriff's Sgt. Tom Mezzetta said deputies are looking for a gray Chevrolet Suburban driven by a white female adult with curly black hair. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Sheriff's Office at 782-9911.