16-Year-Old Killed in Suspicious Oviedo Hit-and-Run Circumstances

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on April 19, 2017

In a tragic turn of events, a 16-year-old high school student was killed on Sunday night after a pickup truck ran him over. The details of the accident are somewhat blurry, but the Florida Highway Patrol has released an initial statement that discusses that events that led to Chris Johnson’s death on Sunday evening. According to the report, at around 7:00 pm on Sunday, emergency crews were dispatched to Chinaberry Avenue in Oviedo after a report came in that a person had been struck by a pickup truck and was currently still trapped beneath the vehicle. When the first responders arrived, they found Johnson, a Hagerty High School student, underneath the large vehicle. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

While there were witnesses to at least the scene’s aftermath, there was no one present who was able to concretely identify the individual behind the wheel of the truck. This has badly shaken the surrounding community who have come together to discuss the event with some suspicion as to whether or not it was even an accident. This line of thinking stems from certain details that bother community residents, such as the fact that the car was still there when the authorities arrived, but the driver was nowhere to be seen. Even the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office has indicated that they believe the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death to be suspicious.

As of this moment, it is believed that that the authorities do have someone in custody in relation to this incident, but it is not clear who the apprehended individual is or whether or not they are being charged with full responsibility for this crime. The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office has declined labeling the person (referred to in their report as a “person of interest”) as a suspect in this case.

During the grieving process, the community and the Seminole County Public Schools have come together to ensure that a proper mourning of the deceased student’s life takes place. A memorial service was scheduled for Monday night at Hagerty High School, and many of the students planned on wearing red, said to be Johnson’s favorite color, to the event.

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.