Family of nurse injured in Bremerton hit-and-run breathes sigh of relief now that driver is arrested

Family members of a nurse seriously injured in a hit-and-run crash a week and a half ago are breathing a sigh of relief now that Bremerton police have arrested the suspected driver.

Bob Lampton, 35, is still in the intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center after already undergoing five surgeries.

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“It's a slow recovery, but he's coming around. He's a strong guy,” said Lem Lampton, Bob’s older brother. “He has a perfect memory of the whole event. Remembers the whole thing.”

Bob had just gotten married at the beginning of the year in Cambodia.

He’s a traveling nurse from Kennewick and was working at Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton. He was walking on a sidewalk near the Warren Avenue Bridge when a car swerved off the road, hit a guardrail, then hit him on Dec. 5. But the driver never stopped .

“It's definitely a judge of character on his part that he didn't have the integrity to stop and find out, or call  police himself to let them know there's a person injured on the side of the road,” Lem said.

The family, worried about Bob, also sought to bring the driver to justice. They just learned police arrested Ian Allen Maesner, 27. Maesner was charged Friday with hit and run, vehicular assault, driving without an ignition interlock device - which detects alcohol - and driving on a suspended license. His bail is set at $300,000.

“Unfortunate, [that] it happened during the holidays. One person is in the hospital, the other person is in jail. So it's tough for families to deal with,” Lem added.

Though Bob still has a long road ahead of him, Lem and his family have been touched by the outpouring of support.

“We've had a great outreach and response from the nursing community. They're taking of their own person. Because that's what Bob does. He takes care of people. That’s what he loves to do. We're hoping he has a quick recovery so we're hoping he can get back to that,” Lem explained.

For now, they're taking it day by day and hoping that Bob gets well enough to make it home for Christmas.

Here is a link to Bob's GoFundMe page.

Cox Media Group