Mary Kate McGrath’s parents calling on West Philadelphia hit-and-run driver to come forward

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Mary Kate McGrath has been in the hospital since the night of January 1st.

She was the victim of a hit-and-run in West Philadelphia and the driver has still not been caught.

Mary Kate, 28, is a special education assistant working towards her certification, her parents Jim and Lorraine McGrath told Action News.

Mary Kate works part-time on the weekends. Her parents believe she came home from that job when she was beaten.

“One of the (hospital) staff, she said, in all her years of trauma, had never seen anyone so badly injured, and yet alive,” said Jim McGrath.

Jim and Lorraine come to the hospital every day, unsure about their daughter’s future.

“We try to focus on the task at hand, which is to take care of them. We were here every day,” Jim explained.

Philadelphia police say Mary Kate McGrath was hit near North 40th Street and Lancaster Avenue, not far from her home, when the driver was about to make a turn.

Police say the suspicious vehicle was small and blue with an unknown number plate.

Shortly thereafter, Jim received a call from his daughter’s cell phone. A male voice was heard on the other end of the line.

“A stranger got in and told us she had been hit by a car and was in really bad shape,” Jim recalled.

“He himself seemed very shaken at the time,” Jim said, adding how grateful he was to the stranger for calling.

Mary Kate was transported to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and has remained there ever since.

Her injuries are large and severe, including lacerations to multiple internal organs and a fractured pelvis.

Her father said each of her ribs had been broken at least once and she sustained multiple fractures in her arm.

Jim said Mary Kate suffered two strokes as a result of her injuries.

“Both of her shoulders, especially her right shoulder, were ripped out of their joints,” Jim said.

Mary Kate survived. But just this week, the Philadelphia Police Department’s Crash Investigation Division said hit-and-run fatalities hit a record number last year.

There have been several hit-and-run incidents this week, including two on Sunday when a 31-year-old cyclist was fatally struck by a white van and a pedestrian was killed by a driver in South Philadelphia.

As for Mary Kate, her parents come to the hospital every day and call the driver to get in touch.

“Go to court or hopefully they find you,” Jim said.