ST. LOUIS — You may think if you're involved in a crash and the other driver's at fault you wouldn't be responsible for financially crushing bills, but one south St. Louis man said he's stuck with skyrocketing medical and insurance bills after a shooting and crash.
"It happened so fast you can't even think," Jim Swofford said.
Swofford has lived in south St. Louis for decades, but in recent years he's seen a dramatic change in his community.
"I love the city. That's why I live here because I love the inner city," he said. "but it seems like it's getting more and more that people are disregarding the laws we have."
He said he never thought he'd become a part of a crime scene.
"The seat belt and airbags saved my life," Swofford told 5 On Your Side.
Last Tuesday, Swofford said he was on his way home with his friend when he saw Bryant Crosby firing an assault-style rifle out of the sunroof of a car at another car near Meramac and Compton. Startled by the gunfire, he stopped in the middle of the road, but he said that decision almost cost him his life.
"Next thing I knew, a car came speeding through a four-way stop and she hit a pickup truck on one side and crashed head-on into me," he said.
Police said after the crash the suspects ran away, but said officers were able to catch them a short time later and took them into custody.
"I was just an innocent bystander and I'm going to suffer the consequences for it," Swofford said.
Swofford told 5 On Your Side he suffered a fractured elbow from the crash. He said he's frustrated he's on the hook for medical and insurance bills.
"They hit me. They're paying nothing and I'm paying everything and It'll go against my record," he said.
He told 5 On Your Side police must do something to stop the violence, but even as they try Swofford said he's considering leaving the only place he's ever called home.
"This has got me thinking, 'Is it worth it?" he said.
Two of the three suspects have not been charged in the case. However, the circuit attorney's office has charged Crosby with unlawful possession of a firearm. He currently being held in jail on a $50,000 cash only bond.