Father reflects on 'traumatic experience'

March 28, 2012

When Duane Cozzen heard his daughter had been hit by a car earlier this month, the roles in his life were instantaneously reversed.

When he found out the driver kept going, he couldn’t believe it.

Cozzen, a sergeant with the Claremont Police Department, had worked hit-and-run accidents before, but this was his 12-year-old daughter, Cassie, who was the victim.

“You think, this happens to other people. You never think it can happen to you,” Cozzen said. “It’s devastating and a traumatic experience. It helps me understand better how other victims feel.”

For more of this story, pick up the Thursday edition of The O-N-E.