I believe Gina Misic when she says she doesn’t want revenge.
Nor is she even demanding justice, if that means a conviction and/or jail time for the driver who struck and killed her 27-year-old son while he was riding his bike on Montgomery Road in Aurora five years ago.
What this still-grieving mother really wants is an apology. And an explanation of what happened on that Saturday evening, Nov. 14, 2020, including why the driver fled the scene rather than call 911 and try to help fatally-injured Dragomir Misic.
“I can’t bring him back,” she said of “Dragy,” the fourth of her five children and the son she’d always prayed for. “But I want to help this individual clear their conscience of what they did.”
And perhaps in doing so, that can bring at least a semblance of closure to the victim’s family, although Misic says she hates “to use that word” because there never is an end to the sense of loss when a loved one is taken so quickly, so unexpectedly.
It should be noted the Montgomery Road area seems to get more than its share of fatal accidents, including bike fatalities in recent years. In May of 2019, Aurora held its first Ghost Bike Memorial to call attention to deadly bike/vehicle crashes, including one that claimed the life of Waubonsie Valley High School student Micah Ginsberg the previous November.
The white memorial bike for Dragy is located on Broadway in downtown Aurora near the fire station, a haunting reminder to all of us – cyclists, walkers, motorists – of traffic hazards that can lead to tragedy.
Dragy had received a ticket the prior month for riding his bike on the sidewalk – a city ordinance makes it legal only for those under 15 to do so in Aurora. So Misic wasn’t surprised her son was using the road that evening less than three miles from their home. He was heading to a friend’s house, likely in search of a vehicle to replace the one he had recently sold soon after the family had returned from a Florida vacation, she told me, adding that a few witnesses had seen the biker riding on that stretch of pavement.
Aurora police received numerous calls from those who later spotted him lying in the intersection of Montgomery Road and White Eagle Drive, according to news reports, which also noted that paramedics worked on the fallen biker but to no avail.
Her son, whom she described as small in stature, was found a distance from the bike, so Misic can only imagine how hard the impact had been that sent him flying.
Despite some early leads, nothing had panned out in the investigation that the Aurora Police Department says is still ongoing.
Dragomir Misic was killed in a hit-and-run crash while riding his bicycle on Nov. 14, 2020, in Aurora. (Gina Misic)
Her four daughters, who were “extremely close” to their younger brother, attempted to gather information, Misic says. They spoke to residents in the subdivision near where the crash happened, checked with nearby businesses and even contacted body shops to see about any suspicious vehicles brought in.
It was dark at the time of the crash, her son was wearing black with traffic on this usually busy road likely lighter than normal because of the pandemic.
Misic can’t help but wonder about the person involved and the circumstances that led to this tragic impact. Could it have been a college student home early for winter break who had been out partying? Was this individual distracted by his phone? Did the driver tell his or her parents what happened and was advised not to say anything for fear of ruining a promising future?
So many scenarios go round and round in her mind.
“Someone knows something … someone had to have seen the damaged vehicle,” Misic insists, pleading with that person through this newspaper space to “come forward, contact me,” even if anonymously.
“I don’t need a name, just a letter at least saying you are sorry and explaining what happened,” she says. “How can anyone live with this on their mind knowing they took a life and still go about their day?”
It’s a good question and one I think about every time we hear of a fatal hit-and-run.
A study shows that only about half of the drivers involved in hit-and-run crashes are ever identified. The problem, according to experts, is that these tragedies can leave little physical evidence. And many take place with few witnesses or cameras nearby.
Misic tells me she felt like the first year after the crash was spent in a fetal position. She visits Dragy’s grave nearly every Sunday. But anniversaries are always extra tough on survivors. At this five-year mark it is obvious the passage of time can only exacerbate the emptiness and frustration of this mother who becomes emotional as we talk about the love for her son and the hole now in her heart.
“I feel like everyone else is going on with their lives,” says Misic, adding there are moments she feels as if she’s letting her son down by not finding out who is responsible for his death.
“I know the driver did not do it on purpose. I just hope someone comes forward. It will help me and the family. But it will also help the individual.”
dcrosby@tribpub.com
