High School Student Killed in Hit and Run in Orange County
Alec Gomez, a 15-year-old student at Timber Creek High School in Orange County, was hanging out with friends, skateboarding and yo-yoing this weekend, when he was struck by a motorcyclist close to where Avalon Park Boulevard and Pellicer Drive intersect. According to eyewitness reports from some of the other young people gathered at the location, Gomez was mindfully playing with his friends, carefully avoiding traffic, and being his normal, funny, and conscientious self when the incident occurred around midnight on Friday.
The driver of the 2010 Yamaha motorcycle, a 35-year-old named Ryan Fischer, came down the road while Gomez was playing, and for reasons that are not currently clear, was unable to avoid a collision with the young man. Fischer collided with Gomez, badly injuring him. Instead of staying at the scene, calling for an ambulance, or trying in any way to help the injured young man, Fischer fled. It took police a few hours, but at about 3:00 in the morning they were able to find Fischer in someone’s back yard. It is not clear whether he fled to his own home, was hiding behind a friend’s house, or was simply waiting in the backyard of a stranger, hoping no one would notice.
Fischer was arrested and charged with fleeing from the scene of a fatal accident, although it is possible that more charges will be brought against him as the investigation is not yet complete and there is likely more information to compile.
Now, the family and friends of Alec Gomez are gathering to try and help one another process this tremendously devastating event. Timber Creek High School will be offering grief counseling service for any student who so desires, which, given the popularity of this young man may turn out to be quite a few people.
This accident, one in a tragic string of hit-and-run incidents that have plagued Florida and Orange County over the past few years, is a devastating event for the community in which Gomez was a member. Additionally, the grief that a family needs to process when such an incident occurs can easily be eclipsed by sudden financial burdens brought on by medical bills and funeral costs. As it turns out, those who perpetrate crimes against us and those we love can harm us far beyond the initial incident.
James O. Cunningham
Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.