On a day meant for celebration, tragedy struck an 84-year-old man in Birmingham, Alabama. Erwin Ellis Curtis, a beloved patriarch, was making his way home from church in his wheelchair on Father's Day, June 16, 2024, when he was struck by a vehicle at the intersection of Messer Airport Highway and Georgia Road. The driver of the vehicle did not stop to render aid and fled the scene.
Emergency services transported Curtis to a local hospital, where he was treated for grave injuries,
including bleeding on the brain. He was placed in a medically induced coma but ultimately succumbed to his injuries on July 5, 2024. His family, who had been planning a reunion, was instead left to mourn the sudden and senseless loss of a man they described as a pillar of strength, love, and wisdom.
In the wake of the fatal hit-and-run, the Birmingham Police Department launched an investigation that led to the arrest of 27-year-old Saamus Hakeem Strickland. Strickland was taken into custody on July 25, 2024, and charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death or injury. He was booked into jail and later released after posting a $15,000 bond.
