MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – A Wisconsin woman is facing felony charges after allegedly putting a Lyft driver in a coma during a hit-and-run, only to turn around and file a fraudulent insurance claim pretending her vehicle was damaged while she was at work.
A Mangled Nissan
The collision occurred on the night of December 1 in Milwaukee. Police responded to 911 calls reporting a pedestrian had been struck by a vehicle that fled the scene. Arriving officers found a 26-year-old Lyft driver unconscious with severe head trauma.
The victim's white Nissan Sentra was found with its door mangled and crushed backward, consistent with being sideswiped at high speed. The driver was rushed to a local hospital where he has undergone two brain surgeries. Authorities state he remains in a coma and his condition is worsening.
The Cover-Up Attempt
Investigators reviewed surveillance video which identified the suspect vehicle as a white or gray Jeep Compass driving with only its running lights on. Police cross-referenced insurance claims filed for similar vehicles in the days following the crash and flagged a claim made by Jenni Fischer on December 3.
In her claim, Fischer asserted that she exited her workplace to find the right side of her SUV smashed, the windshield cracked, and the mirror broken. She supported this claim by filing a police report through an online portal designed for minor vandalism, not major vehicle collisions.
"Jesus Christ"
The investigation led police to Fischer's apartment, where surveillance footage from the night of the crash showed her parking her gray Jeep—with only running lights on—just one minute after the hit-and-run occurred. The video reportedly showed a blonde woman, identified as Fischer, stumbling into the building, hitting the walls of the staircase, and dropping her keys in the lobby.
When officers visited Fischer's parents' home on December 6, her mother initially repeated the story about the parking lot damage. However, when police showed her the surveillance video of the actual collision, her mother reportedly reacted by saying "Jesus Christ" and told police to cancel the insurance claim because it was not true.
Fischer was arrested and charged with hit-and-run involving great bodily harm and filing a fraudulent insurance claim. She is currently held on a $20,000 cash bond.
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