Police Seek Car in Hit-And-Run of Senate Staffer Who Died of Blood Clot

D.C. police are on the hunt for the hit-and-run driver who struck a Senate staffer last month — a staffer who died Wednesday of a massive blood clot in her lung, at age 31.

Police said Saturday that they are looking for a white, four-door 2011 Nissan Maxima with Maryland tags. They say a car fitting that description struck Lisa Radogno May 8 as she crossed the street at East Capitol Street at 17th Street in Southeast Washington, near Eastern High School.

The driver didn’t stop, though Radogno suffered injuries to her wrist and knee. Radogno had returned to work in Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk's Capitol Hill office when she suffered a pulmonary embolism last Wednesday.

An autopsy will determine if the blood clot stemmed from the crash. Her cause of death is listed as undetermined, though her family — including her mother, Illinois Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno — say they believe the blood clot was caused by the crash.

Radogno's spokesman told NBC Chicago's Ward Room that Radogno's death was “the result of complications of a hit-and-run in mid-May.”

Radogno was an executive assistant in Kirk’s office, where she worked for seven years. Her death stunned her fellow staffers.

“She was the one who sat right outside of Senator Kirk’s office, so she was the one who said, ‘Hey, it’s time to go, hey, we got to get moving,’" said Lance Trover, one of Radogno’s co-workers. “She’s the person who kept the ball rolling,”

After the crash, Sen. Christine Radogno drove out to Washington and brought her daughter home to Illinois to allow her to recuperate and "get her life back." But Radogno was back in her D.C. home when she became ill Tuesday night while speaking on the phone.

The person on the phone alerted 911 and paramedics had to break down the door of her condo. Her parents flew to D.C. Wednesday morning, and Sen. Kirk kept a vigil with them at the hospital.

Police continue to search for the white Maxima and are seeking any information that may lead to the driver. If you have information, call Metropolitan Police at (202) 727-9099 or text a message to 50411. Callers may remain anoymous.

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