St. Lucie County Elementary School Student Killed During Tragic Hit-and-Run

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on September 26, 2021

As the relatives of a 10-year-old Florida girl mourn the death of their beloved family member, authorities with the Fort Pierce Police Department have finally found the vehicle and a possible person of interest believed to have been the driver involved in the fatal hit-and-run collision that took the child’s life early Thursday morning as she was crossing the street to board her school bus.

According to preliminary collision reports from the Fort Pierce Police Department, it was close to 6:15 a.m. on September 23, 2021, when 10-year-old Jaceny Berenice Rodriguez-Gonzalez was standing at the intersection of Oleander Avenue and Skyline Drive waiting for her school bus to arrive. Shortly after the bus driver pulled up to the stop, extended the vehicle’s safety arm, and illuminated the flashing lights, the young girl stepped off the curb and attempted to cross the street in order to board the school bus that was parked along southbound Oleander Avenue. It was as she stepped onto the roadway that an oncoming white Chevy sedan drove around the school bus, struck the elementary student, then sped off in the northbound direction.

St. Lucie County emergency responders, medical teams, and members of the Fort Pierce Police Department were dispatched to the scene of the deadly collision and immediately transported the little girl to the Lawnwood Regional Medical Center. Officers indicated that she was in critical condition when she entered the local hospital, however, the severe nature of her life-threatening injuries proved to be too great for her to survive from, and she passed away shortly upon arrival.

After searching for the alleged offender and Chevy sedan for over 30 hours, traffic homicide investigators with the Fort Pierce Police Department were able to locate the badly damaged vehicle and an unidentified person of interest at approximately 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon. “The investigation revealed a person of interest, and we’re currently working in conjunction with the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office,” said Fort Pierce Police Department public affairs manager Curtis Jennings in a statement to local media outlets. No further information has been provided to the public at this time.

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.