RSS46-Year-Old Pedestrian Killed During Hit-and-Run Collision in Tampa
Detectives with the traffic homicide division of the Florida Highway Patrol working within Hillsborough County have apprehended an 18-year-old Tampa resident for his alleged involvement in a deadly hit-and-run accident along West Hillsborough Avenue that killed a 46-year-old pedestrian this past Monday evening.
According to official reports from the Florida Highway Patrol, it was approximately 10:15 p.m. on September 27, 2021, when 18-year-old Jesus Manuel Diaz was driving a 2000 Acura Integra at a high rate of speed eastbound down West Hillsborough Avenue. As the Tampa man approached the street’s intersection with Sawyer Road, he slammed into a 46-year-old female pedestrian, also from Tampa, as she was attempting to walk across the southbound lanes of West Hillsborough Avenue.
Immediately after the fatal collision occurred, the 18-year-old driver proceeded to flee the scene of the accident with the victim’s body still attached to his passenger vehicle. He continued this jaw-dropping journey for nearly a mile before pulling his car over near the intersection of San Pablo Place and Yosemite Drive to get rid of the victim. Hillsborough County authorities eventually caught up with the teen driver and detained him in the Golfwood Estates neighborhood of Town ‘N’ Country until deputies with the Florida Highway Patrol arrived and arrested him on charges of leaving the scene of a crash involving death. The suspect was then transported to the Hillsborough County Jail where he will remain in lieu of a $15,000 bond.
It is unclear at this time if Jesus Manuel Diaz was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the accident, however, officers investigating this incredibly tragic incident do believe that the 46-year-old victim was killed instantly and did not suffer.
For forty-four years and counting, Tampa auto accident attorney James O. Cunningham has been compassionately fighting for the rights of victims who have been seriously injured or killed as the result of another driver’s negligence. If you would like to schedule a free 30-minute case evaluation, please submit a contact form on our website or call our office directly at 877-FL-INJURY to speak with an associate regarding your legal situation.
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.
Mr. Cunningham is an excellent and knowledgeable attorney.