A motorcyclist told Hammond police he didn’t have enough time to react on July 10 when a Mitsubishi Outlander with one headlight came right at him.

He was severely injured and may need to have his leg amputated, court records show.

Tianna Smith, 34, of Hammond, the SUV’s driver, is facing felony charges after leaving the scene on Indianapolis Boulevard near 175th Street in Hammond.

She has not been apprehended and is ordered held without bail.

Smith told police she swerved to miss another car, then “panicked.”

A probable cause affidavit shows Hammond police responded at 9:19 p.m. to the 7800 block of Indianapolis Boulevard.

A witness later told cops the SUV was headed north “pretty fast,” then slipped into the southbound lane, hitting the motorcyclist, before taking off. The motorcycle was thrown into a guardrail.

Several drivers moved their cars around the victim to protect him from oncoming traffic, the witness said.

The victim — who spoke briefly with police — was taken immediately to an Illinois trauma hospital.

Officers recovered a mirror and part of the SUV’s trim molding, which had a “factory part number” for the vehicle.

Investigators used the license plate reader system to identify Smith’s vehicle. A picture showed it had one headlight out.

Police impounded the vehicle on July 18. They noted it had red paint streaks on the driver’s side — likely from the victim’s Harley-Davidson. The molding and mirror matched.

Since the SUV only had one headlight, the victim told cops on Aug. 20 that he thought it was another motorcycle. He was “confused” and “disoriented” by what was happening.

He underwent five surgeries since the crash, and faced more. He has an “immobilized” left arm and leg and uses a wheelchair. He would likely be permanently disabled.

In a July 18 police interview, Smith apologized and said she was driving. Part of the reason she panicked was “because I just cleaned my background,” she said.

Investigators weren’t able to get speed data from the vehicle.

She was charged Tuesday with three counts of leaving the scene of an accident and four misdemeanors.

mcolias@post-trib.com