The search for the driver in a near-fatal hit-and-run collision that severely injured an SU student continued Sunday with a university-sponsored flyer distribution.

The distribution began at 1 p.m. and covered six blocks on Euclid Avenue as well as several side streets. Several hundred flyers were distributed, SU spokesman Kevin Morrow said.

“We are really hopeful that the flyers will make somebody recall something they saw that night,” Morrow said.

This function is only the beginning of a larger campaign by SU to spread the message about the attack and gather possible leads. The university has printed 7,000 flyers and plans to distribute them to businesses in the Marshall and Westcott Street areas, mail them through the South Eastern University Neighborhood Association, post them on the LeMoyne University campus and have the Office of Residence Life put them up in every hall.

On Dec. 14, a car hit junior Lisa Ellis and Billy Ganey — a male stripper who had been hired for a friend’s 21st birthday — in front of Ellis’ home on the 600 block of Euclid Avenue. Ellis was thrown over a car and landed on her head.

The car may have been a 1989 to 1991Chevrolet Lumina, Pontiac Grand Prix or Buick Regal, according to university reports. The car may now have damage to its front bumper and passenger side, the reports added.

Ellis suffered major head injuries and underwent emergency brain surgery. Ganey received minor injuries and was treated and released.

The flyer pictures Ellis and includes details of how she was injured and how to contact the Syracuse Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division. The flyer urges anyone who either witnessed the accident or knows the identity of the driver to call police at 442-5222.

Erin Leahey, Ellis’ roommate and friend, said Sunday’s distribution was undertaken by about 30 people, many of whom were friends, roommates or shared a major with Ellis.

Because of the turnout, volunteers split into groups and completed the distribution in about one and a half hours, Leahey said.

“What I really wanted was everyone to know that it could be you,” said Jennifer Martin, who also participated on Sunday.

Martin, a junior biology engineering major, was surprised by the turnout of people who helped by going door to door, including some students and city police officers who did not know Ellis. She hopes that this and further actions positively affect the campus and the surrounding neighborhoods.

“We would love to get the guy who did it,” Martin said. “But it is good just to let people know to be safe.”

Although Martin said she hopes this incident raises awareness about drunken driving, Morrow has not ruled out any more sinister scenarios.

“This could have been a malicious attack and that is more of an incentive to get the word out,” he said.

As any information that does not compromise the investigation becomes available, the campus will be notified, Morrow said. He also said students and residents should not lose sight of why the flyers are being posted.

“They seriously injured that girl,” Morrow said. “She is recovering, but she is really banged up.”

Published on January 21, 2002 at 12:00 pm