Bartow Man Killed in Polk County Hit-and-Run

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on November 26, 2017

A spokesperson with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that a hit-and-run accident that took place early on Sunday morning has claimed the life of one person and another on the run from detectives. The full report, which was issued earlier today, outlines the events as they are currently understood and ends with a plea to the public to help investigators track down and apprehend the individual who perpetrated this deadly act.

Powell, a Bartow resident, was on foot, walking along the shoulder of the westbound lanes of Highway 60, just to the east of the Cedar Trail Landfill. At around 1:30 in the morning, a car driving in the westbound lanes swerved off of the road and onto the shoulder. Powell was not able to escape the car, and the driver of the car either did not see Powell or did nothing to avoid him. The impact between the car and Powell left the man in critical condition.

It is not known when the paramedics arrived or who called them, but when they reached the badly injured Powell there was nothing more they could do, and he was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Now authorities are searching for the person behind the wheel of the car that killed him.

Whether from surveillance footage, eye-witness accounts, or forensic investigation it is known that the vehicle that killed Powell was black and that it most likely struck the man with it’s front right (passenger) side. Debris strewn around the accident site suggest that the car received noticeable damage to its front side, the front quarter panel, and the headlight assembly on its passenger side. Anyone with any information at all that might aid the detectives working with the Polk County Sheriff’s Department in the investigation is encouraged to come forward to help catch the individual responsible for Powell’s death. It is the hope of the detectives that through the identification of the vehicle used they will be able to apprehend a suspect.

As the search continues, new updates will emerge to let the public know if and when the person driving the black car is apprehended.

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.