Married Couple Killed in Tragic Central Florida Hit-and-Run Collision

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on July 22, 2021

Family members of a Central Florida couple are desperately seeking answers and the public’s assistance after two of their relatives were struck and killed during a hit-and-run collision along Interstate 4 in Seminole County at the beginning of July.

According to preliminary accident reports from responding officers with the Florida Highway Patrol, it was shortly before 1 a.m. on July 11, 2021, when 64-year-old Army veteran David Roman and his wife, 57-year-old Minerva Barreto, were driving down an eastbound lane of I-4 near S.R. 417. Troopers currently believe that a red vehicle entered the busy interstate from the eastern direction, sideswiped the couple’s 2019 Toyota Corolla, and proceeded to flee the scene. The force of impact from the collision caused Roman’s car to slam into a guardrail, spin back across the roadway, and strike an oncoming pickup truck.

As a part of their investigative efforts, the Florida Highway Patrol pulled traffic video footage from every available toll booth camera in the area, and have already eliminated sixty red vehicles. Officers stated that the car in question will have significant damage to the left side of the sedan. Under Florida law, leaving the scene of a fatal crash is a first-degree felony and comes with a mandatory 4-year prison sentence.

David Roman and Minerva Barreto are survived by five children who have recently reached out to request the public’s help with identifying the vehicle or driver responsible for the death of their parents. “They did everything they could to give us the life that we have. My dad was an Army veteran, he was super proud of that. My mom, loving caring mother, she loved us, cared for us,” said son David Roman Jr. in the family’s statement to the press.

If you have any important and relevant information regarding this deadly accident, please contact your local Florida Highway Patrol office or call the Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.

Since 1977, Florida personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham has dedicated his professional career to compassionately representing victims who have been seriously injured or killed in car accidents including head-on collisions, wrong-way accidents, T-bone collisions, rear-end car accidents, and SUV rollovers. If you would like to schedule a free 30-minute case evaluation, please contact us today at 877-FL-INJURY to speak with an associate.

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.