When Matt Pacheco stepped out the door at 5:15 a.m. on Tuesday, July 28, he began what he expected to be a typical morning run before work. By the time the run was over, his day had been upended by a hit-and-run driver.

One of the most dominant ultrarunners in New England during the past four years, Pacheco often runs both before and after work. That effort has propelled the 41-year-old from Springfield, Mass., to at least 16 ultramarathon victories, including the Traprock 50K, the TARC Winter Classic 40-miler, the Mt. Toby 50K, the Riverlands 100-miler, and course records for both 6 and 12 hours at the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service’s Notchview Ultra. He is next slated to run the Macedonia Trail Race 50K in Connecticut in September.

Pacheco planned to run for about an hour that morning, so all he carried was his cell phone to snap a few pictures and a small bag of dry food to feed some stray cats along the way as he roamed the sidewalks of Springfield while the sun rose. About 4 miles into the run, Pacheco was running on the sidewalk along East Columbus Avenue heading northbound. He passed the Hampton Inn & Suites and reached Gardner Street, which forms a T intersection. There is no stoplight at the intersection, but cars on Gardner Street must stop at a stop sign that is placed before the crosswalk. A sedan approached the intersection, and moments later Pacheco’s run ceased to be typical.

“They came to a stop in front of the crosswalk/stop sign right when I got to the crosswalk,” Pacheco recalled. “They were stopped, so I gave a wave, and started crossing. When I was almost to the other side, they started making a right turn onto E Columbus and hit me.”

Pacheco was struck on his right side, and his glasses flew off as he fell to the ground.

“The car kind of just clipped me, not enough to hurt me in the point of impact, but enough to send me off my feet,” he explained. “There was some road rash on my back there, and a cut on my right elbow, but nothing too major. Yes, my glasses flew off and I hit my head on the sidewalk. It was the back of my head, kind of close to the top.”

Without his glasses, Pacheco couldn’t get a clear look at the car that struck him, but he believes it was a gray or silver sedan. He did note that the driver did stop momentarily before fleeing the scene.

“I didn’t give the car a good look before the accident, and after getting hit my vision was very blurred and I was fairly out of it,” he noted. “They stopped after hitting me for what I think was 5 seconds or so, didn’t say anything or leave their vehicle, then they took off. There were no other cars or people I could see in the immediate area.”

Pacheco was shaken up by what happened, but managed to run the two remaining miles home. Upon arriving home, he discovered how much his head was bleeding from where it struck the ground.

“I don’t know if it was just shock or adrenaline or not wanting to face the gravity of the situation but yes, after a few minutes of gathering myself and finding my glasses, I ran about 2 miles home,” he recalled. “In my mind I was maybe going to go to the ER, file a police report, and be a few hours late to work. It wasn’t until I got home and saw my head was bleeding that I decided the ER was a must. Not much swelling, and the wound didn’t need stitches, but my vision was super blurry for a few minutes after and I had a headache for sure.”

Pacheco spent around three hours in the emergency room. While there, he was placed in a neck brace as a precaution while his spine was checked. A CT scan detected no brain bleeding or other serious damage, but Pacheco was diagnosed with a concussion.

Pacheco said he spoke to the police while at the emergency room, and a promising lead was soon discovered.

“I talked to one cop and told him the time and location of the incident and a brief rundown of what happened, and he came back in about 15 minutes later and told me they had found footage of the incident,” Pacheco said. “According to him, E Columbus Ave has many traffic cameras on it, and he seemed quite confident they would be caught. I also filed a police report that morning and submitted it. I have called a few times since for any updates, but unfortunately haven’t heard anything past that.”

MassUltra has submitted a request to the Springfield Police Department for a copy of the police report and any video footage that the SPD can provide of the accident.

Pacheco works in a shipping department where his duties include physical labor such as lifting, loading trucks and operating a forklift, as well as working on a computer. He missed two days of work as a result of the accident. Since returning to work, he said his employer has limited his involvement in physical labor. Instead, he is primarily in an office working on a computer, and has had to dim the lights and put the screen into night mode due to lingering effects of the concussion.

“I’m still pretty sensitive to stuff like well-lit rooms, noise, sudden noises, screens, too much visual/auditory stimulation,” Pacheco explained. “It’s better than it was a few days ago but my body lets me know when I’m overriding it still. A headache can come on pretty quickly. My neck is still kind of sore, but again, much better than a few days ago.”

While Pacheco waits for the SPD to locate the driver who struck him, he also nervously awaits the arrival of the emergency room bill.

“I’m still awaiting the bill but I expect it won’t be cheap,” he said. “I’ve got health insurance but it isn’t great, and in my experience stuff like a visit to the ER and [CT scans] are usually pricey.”

Unbeknownst to Pacheco, a friend of his family–Ken Bradley–set up a gofundme to raise money to help Pacheco cover the cost of any medical bills related to the accident. That effort has raised $1,549 as of the time of publication.

“I would’ve never done this for myself, and I never expected anyone would do something like this, I was definitely a little speechless,” Pacheco said of Bradley creating the gofundme. “I think anyone who’s a regular in the running/ultra scene knows it’s a generous and special community. But the thought that anyone, whether I know them or not, would donate, is amazing to me.”

While his head continues to heal, Pacheco was fortunate that his legs weren’t injured in the accident. He returned to running after three days off. He was anxious to head back out the door.

“I was definitely a little nervous, and I was certainly paying close attention to any car I came by,” he explained of the first run back. “I was definitely relieved and proud to put myself back out there. I’m keeping in mind that the events leading up to the accident were like a million runs before it, and that all I can do differently is take extra precautions and not assume anything about what drivers are or aren’t going to do in any given situation.”

In addition to taking extra precautions, Pacheco said he is also taking extra time to focus on gratitude–both for his ability to run and for the people around him.

“One of the first things I thought after the accident, even as the car was driving away, was how fortunate I am,” Pacheco said. “I was aware of what was going on, I was able to stand, I was able to run home. The gravity of the situation really didn’t hit me until that night, after I had spent the majority of the day fielding so, so many messages of support from fellow runners and family and people I haven’t spoken to in years. Then the messages just kept coming as I was trying to go to bed. It was really overwhelming and maybe the most grateful I’ve ever felt, to not only come out of something like that relatively okay but also see how many people cared. The accident and being able to get back out there as quickly as I have are things I’m still processing; it’s been a lot to take in.”