Merton hit-and-run: Accused driver appears in court, posts bond

MERTON, Wis. - The man who prosecutors said struck and seriously injured two people in a Merton hit-and-run earlier this week appeared in court on Friday.

Driver charged

In Court:

Court records show 33-year-old Christopher Wood is charged with two counts of hit-and-run involving great bodily harm. He made his initial court appearance and posted $7,500 cash bond on Dec. 5.

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Wood is due back in court for a preliminary hearing next Friday, Dec. 12.

Merton hit-and-run

The backstory:

The hit-and-run happened around 8:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2. The Waukesha County Sheriff's Department said a car was on Main Street northbound, near Huntington Street, when it hit two pedestrians.

Court filings said the victims – a 64-year-old man and a 64-year-old woman – were found in the middle of the street, unable to move and going in and out of consciousness. They were taken to a hospital for injuries that included multiple broken bones and a brain bleed.

The suspect vehicle, a blue sedan, fled the scene but was captured on surveillance. Prosecutors said the video showed the victims holding hands as they checked for traffic and began to cross the street. They were near the center line when the woman waved her arms "in an apparent attempt to get the attention of a vehicle coming towards them."

Court filings said the blue car, which was partially in the oncoming lane of traffic, then hit the victims. It slowed down but then kept going as the victims were left in the street. Debris from the car was left behind at the scene.

The sheriff's department said the driver, now identified as Wood, turned himself in the next night after a deputy spotted a blue sedan with front-end damage "consistent with the debris" left at the crash scene.