Man Who Hit Operation Hope Employee With SUV Charged: Police

FAIRFIELD, CT — A Fairfield man is charged with a felony after he struck a pedestrian last month with an SUV, severely injuring the woman, according to police.

Richard Zogheb was driving west on Old Post Road about 5:30 p.m. Nov. 20 when he hit 65-year-old Donna Schmidt, police said Wednesday in a news release. Schmidt was using a crosswalk in the 600 block of Old Post Road when she was hit by the front of Zogheb’s vehicle, according to police.

An investigation found Zogheb had a clear sight line and should have seen Schmidt in the crosswalk, police said, adding Schmidt is still recovering from the crash. Investigators do not believe speed was factor in the incident, according to police.

Zogheb, 56, cooperated with the investigation and turned himself in at the Fairfield police station Dec. 22, the day after a warrant was issued for his arrest, police said. He is charged with second-degree assault of an elderly person, a felony, as well as failure to grant right of way to a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk, according to police.

Zogheb is free on a promise to appear in court and his arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 19, according to court records.

Schmidt, a Bridgeport resident, is the volunteer program manager at Operation Hope in Fairfield, and has worked at the area nonprofit for 10 years. She was walking to Operation Hope at the time of the crash. When first responders arrived, Schmidt was lying on her back in the road and had to be taken to St. Vincent’s Medical Center for her injuries, police said.

A gofundme campaign started by Schmidt’s family in November indicated she would require intensive care for an extended period of time. The campaign had raised nearly $30,000 as of Wednesday.