Orange County Hit-and-Run Leaves Pedestrian Trapped in Ditch with Car
A bizarre hit-and-run took place within Orange County sometime during either the night of Tuesday, July 16th, or the following morning. Reports from rescue crews working with Orange County responded to the incident sometime around 3:00 in the morning, although it is not clear who called the crash into the authorities. When police, EMTs, paramedics, and other first responders reached the area they found a car crashed into a ditch as well as one individual inside of the ditch who authorities at first took to be the driver of the car.
The ditch was located close to State Road 408, along a stretch of Pine Hills Road that borders an S.R. 408 exit ramp. The initial investigation into the crash determined that the car had been traveling along this exit ramp when, for reasons that are not clear, it shot off of the ramp and into the ditch.
It did not take long before the response crews learned that the person who was in the ditch when they arrived was not, in fact, the driver of the car. The reports from the scene stated that this person was actually a pedestrian who had been walking along the roadway when they were struck by the car. It was not clear if the pedestrian was on the sidewalk, or even if they were on the exit ramp or walking along Pine Hills Road. What we do know is that the car struck this person before crashing into the ditch. As a result of the collision, the pedestrian suffered from serious injuries which paramedics began to treat even as they loaded the pedestrian into an ambulance and rushed them to a nearby hospital.
Concerning the driver of the vehicle in question, little is known. It appears that after the crash, they left the car and fled from the scene. The Florida Highway Patrol is now seeking any information that may help them locate the individual responsible for the crash as well as the injuries that the pedestrian sustained as a result of the collision. As the investigation continues it is believed that additional updates will be released.
Sources:
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.