Rancho El Dorado resident Sterling Woodard, a 39-year-old father of six, was reportedly the victim in a devastating hit-and-run crash on State Route 347 yesterday afternoon.
Woodard, a U.S. Marine Corps and Army veteran and special education teacher, was riding his motorcycle near Casa Blanca Road at about 4:40 p.m. when the driver of a black Chevrolet Tahoe SUV merged into his lane without warning, struck him and sped off. Woodard was heading home to his family, having left from his workplace in the Valley.
His wife, Lecrecia, said there was a special place in you-know-where for “almost MURDERING” her beloved husband. Lecrecia says Woodard doesn’t have health insurance and has suffered wrist and torso injuries.
Woodard, who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in special education at Grand Canyon University, is a “loved” member of the local Maricopa Veterans group, said its founder Jason Martin. The group looks to help raise $5,000 for Woodard’s medical expenses.
Lecrecia called the incident “infuriating” and the Tahoe driver an “inconsiderate jerk.”
Speaking of her husband, she said, “This is a man who is COMMITTED to serving God, his country, family and now children who need a little extra help in school. He couldn’t even pick up our 19-month-old baby girl this evening when she reached up for him, iron the kids’ school uniforms like he does every night or really ANYTHING because of the pain.”
An Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesperson did not immediately answer if the agency identified or arrested the Tahoe driver.
