CINCINNATI — 'Justice', 'Slow Down', 'Get well Mical'. Words penned by Courtney Turner in permanent marker hope to make a permanent impact at the site of a hit-and-run crash on Ezzard Charles Drive.
It has been 365 days since Mical Landrum was riding a motorcycle through the intersection of Ezzard Charles and Winchell when a car crashed into him. The driver took off.
"They left him there for dead. They didn’t go check on him. They got in their car, went down the street, looked at the car to see if the car had any damage instead of checking to see if he’s still alive," Turner said. "He’s stuck. We’re stuck too. Our life isn’t the same. Everyone’s life changed."
Landrum suffered a traumatic brain injury. He has spent the last year recovering. His mother, Dajuanda Landrum-Tate, said progress has been slow, but steady.
"Just like a mustard seed, that little bit is a whole lot," Landrum-Tate said.
Her words Tuesday were spoken through a lens of faith and hope.
"Why him? But then I say to myself, why not him?" she said. "It’s God’s will. He’s a strong person. I’m going to keep fighting. He fights, I fight — his fight, my fight."
A car door opened in a parking lot near the intersection where the crash took place. About a dozen family members worked together to get Mical out of the car, and into a mobility chair — his first time being outside since the crash.
"I thought it was a good idea today to show him to the world," Landrum-Tate said. "A lot of people have been praying for him. You want to see what your prayer does."
His mother said he does range of movement exercises every day. He’s able to blink twice, give a fist bump and a thumbs up. He’s also able to scribble.
"The brain is healing. It’s a slow process," she said.
Family members gathered at the corner on Ezzard Charles Drive for a prayer.
"We thank you for this day. We thank you for life, Lord. We thank you for another year with Mical, Lord," Landrum-Tate added. "Even the person that ran him over. We ask you to bless him too. One day he’ll show his face."
Police continue to search for a suspect wanted for hitting Mical.
"I don’t know if they’re suffering themself. But one day, one day they’ll show. I just don’t want them to hurt anybody else. I don’t want any other family to go through this," Landrum-Tate said.
As Landrum-Tate’s life changed forever on Sept. 27, 2021, she had a pointed message for the person responsible for her son’s serious injuries.
“You didn’t stop nothing. You see what God (has) done? Mercy. God’s grace and mercy kept him where he is. I know you have sleepless nights because I hope you have a soul. Turn yourself in. Somebody knows something. We keep saying it. Someone knows something. Someone should say something. If they don’t, we’re going to still fight for him,” said Landrum-Tate.
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