By james art 
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona – A local flight attendant is recovering from a hit-and-run that happened in Old Town Scottsdale while he was driving for Lyft.
He says it cost him his car, his income and his independence.
“They didn’t even stop to make sure I was OK,” Michael Cooper said.
A tough year for Cooper just got tougher.
A United Airlines flight attendant was kept out of the sky due to health issues, so he drove for Lyft for income.
On October 26, he was working the night shift when another car hit him nearby Indian School Road and Drinkwater Boulevard.
“I saw the guy come out and he’s looking at his van. So let’s say he stays there and I stand my ground and while I’m on the phone with the police,” Cooper said.
Cooper gave his statement to the police and tried to go home, thinking the pain he was feeling would subside.
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He was later taken to a hospital and trauma center in Scottsdale.
“I was admitted to the trauma unit on the sixth floor and I was kind of stuck there and I had a cervical collar on and I was in pain the whole time, so they were giving me painkillers every three hours and it was just horrible and they finally managed to put me on a ventilator.” , Cooper said.
Cooper spent a week in the hospital and now has a busy physical therapy schedule — one he’s trying to navigate without a vehicle and without a source of income from driving for Lyft.
“When you’re already going through other things that you’re trying to save just to be able to go back to work, to have that ripped out from under you … it wasn’t just one thing when they left, they left me with about twenty issues,” Cooper said .
Scottsdale Police say the reported vehicle is a dark blue van, but more evidence is needed to follow up on the case.
Cooper says he’s thankful his injuries weren’t more serious and that his passenger is safe, but he wants police to find out who did this before they potentially cause another crash.
“How do I know he didn’t drive off and just hit someone else? It was Halloween weekend, so what’s to stop him from driving off and hitting a kid or someone else? Just because you didn’t want to stop and own it depends on your actions,” Cooper said.
Anyone with information on the case can contact Scottsdale Police.