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Hernando Today

As Hit And Run Victim Recovers, Classmates Mourn

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By TONY MARRERO

Hernando today

Published: February 10, 2009

Updated: 02/10/2009 10:37 am

BROOKSVILLE - Alicia Anderson remembers what she was thinking before everything went black.

"I'm almost home," Anderson thought as she walked along the side of Meinert Avenue, west of Sunshine Grove Road around 10 p.m. last Thursday.

The 22-year-old Massachusetts resident woke up several hours later in Tampa General Hospital.

By then, Andrew Altringer, the 18-year-old Central High School student who authorities say hit Anderson with his car, had already killed himself.

Altringer, a popular and successful student likely bound for the U.S. Army after graduation, was pulled over for speeding in Inglis and shot himself with a rifle as deputies stepped out of their patrol cars, according to a police report.

On Monday, Anderson sat in the home of her father Marc Anderson and stepmother Kimberly on Convent Garden Road, just around the corner from where she was struck.

She wasn't moving much. Her leg wasn't broken, but was aching enough to need crutches when she did decide to move around. Her head throbbed – she suffered a substantial blow and a severe abrasion to the back of her head. Investigators told the Andersons that Alicia may have been dragged a short distance by Altringer's car.

The investigation into the incident continues, but alcohol "may very well be a factor based upon evidence located in the vehicle and statements made by the passenger" in the car, said Sgt. Steve Gaskins, spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol.

Alicia Anderson said she feels no anger toward Altringer and regrets that he chose to take his life.

"I'm not mad at him," she said. "I just wish he hadn't done what he did. My heart goes out to his family. I'm sorry for their loss."

A call to Altringer's parent's home wasn't returned Monday.

Earlier in the day, Altringer's mother Ann Wagner visited her late son's school and spoke to members of the Diversified Education Club of America, or DECA, that Andrew loved so much.

"She came in this morning out of concern for our students and all those affected by this tragedy," Central's principal Dennis McGeehan said.

Wagner told the students "to never give up hope in any situation," McGeehan recalled.

"No matter how hard it may seem at the time, never give up," he said. "I think it was a great message for a parent to give in these times to students."

Several students chose to talk to counselors Monday about Altringer's death, McGeehan said.

Among Altringer's friends shocked by the loss is Michael Gordon, a senior at Central and a member of DECA.

Gordon remembered Altringer as "an all around good guy." He was "goofy" at times and could be reserved, Gordon said. But DECA aims to hone students' marketing skills and often requires presentations in front of a group, and Altringer was good at that, too.

"He definitely was a fierce competitor," Gordon said. "He was shy but when he needed to be formal and out there, he just did it."

It was enough to earn him a spot at the state competition for the last three years, said Gino Ortiz, a marketing teacher at Central and the co-leader of the DECA chapter.

This year's competition was just a month away. Altringer planned to present a plan to market the Nintendo Wii to nursing homes for health and recreation, Ortiz said.

"Andrew was one of these kids who was very structured," Ortiz said. He was a perfectionist kind of person. He has to have things done correctly."

Altringer was an honor student who had an unblemished discipline record at Central. He had already gone through boot camp and was a member of the National Guard's 650th Military Police Unit.

He enjoyed "tinkering with everything" and fishing, according to his obituary.

"There were no warning signs" of the kind of instability that might lead to suicide, Ortiz said.

"No depression, no withdrawal. He was very much engaged, very active," he said.

Friends were stunned to hear Altringer took his own life, Gordon said. Altringer had talked about a dream of becoming a police officer after his military service, with sights set on becoming a member of the SWAT team.

"He seemed like he had a good life going for him," he said. "I believe he was just afraid of his military career going down the drain when he hit that woman. He overreacted."

A memorial service for Altringer is planned for 2 p.m. today at Glen Lakes Golf and Country Club.

'We would have forgave him'

Alicia Anderson doesn't remember it, but she crawled along the dusty shoulder of the limerock road to a neighbor's house after she was hit.

Bleeding profusely from the head, she gave her cell phone to the neighbor.

"My name is Alicia," she told the man. "Please call my father."

Alicia was whisked away to Oak Hill Hospital. A detective phoned Marc Anderson and said investigators found his daughter's shoe, pieces of a car's mirror and lots of blood at the scene.

"Go take care of your daughter," the detective said. "We'll call you when we find out who it is."

At Oak Hill, doctors told the Andersons they might have to drill a hole in their daughter's skull to relieve the swelling. She was flown by helicopter to Tampa General Hospital. The drilling wasn't necessary, and she was released Friday afternoon.

Alicia lives in Lynn, Mass., north of Boston, and is visiting Florida with her 22-month-old son Angel and Ramon, the boy's father. They planned to leave this week, but Alicia must first be checked out by a neurologist to be sure it's safe for her to fly.

A stay-at-home mom, Alicia doesn't have insurance. The family has only begun to consider how to cover the medical bills, said Marc Anderson, who is district facilities coordinator for LifeSouth Community Blood Center in Brooksville. Kimberly Anderson is a bus driver for the Hernando County School District.

But finances are a small concern compared to a scary situation that could have been worse, the Andersons said. Usually, Alicia goes walking with her sister and the family dogs. She could have decided to take Angel. That night, Alicia wanted to go alone.

The Andersons found out the next day that the man who almost killed their daughter had killed himself.

"I was sad for the kid," Marc Anderson said. "We would have forgave him. My prayers go out to the family."

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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