Pedestrian Killed During Hit-and-Run Dragging Accident in Marion County

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on June 27, 2021

As authorities with the Ocala Police Department continue their dutiful work in piecing together the chain of events from three separate crime scenes which led to a hit-and-run collision and the subsequent death of a 45-year-old pedestrian this past Friday evening, other officials in Marion County are struggling to determine the identity of the male victim and are currently requesting the public’s assistance in doing so.

According to preliminary accident reports from the Ocala Police Department, at approximately 10:16 p.m. on June 25^th, 2021, an on-duty officer was dispatched to the Wawa gas station located at 1001 S. Pine Avenue regarding a yet-to-be-determined disturbance. It was as the responding officer pulled into the parking lot that he heard an incredibly loud noise accompanied by a white Toyota speeding away from the convenience store. Witnesses at the scene would later tell police that this vehicle was also dragging a pedestrian behind it, although there are currently conflicting reports surrounding this detail.

While the OPD officer radioed for backup, he gave pursuit to the fleeing newer model Toyota, which, after leaving the Wawa, drove in an erratic manner down Pine Avenue before turning onto Southwest 10th Street and then Southwest First Avenue. Police believe that as the Toyota approached the 500 block of Southwest First Avenue near the downtown post office, the 45-year-old pedestrian finally fell off of the car and into the roadway. The driver of the Toyota did not stop when this incident occurred and instead proceeded onward with his deadly journey until he reached the vicinity of Southeast Broadway Street and Tuscawilla Avenue where he crashed the vehicle into a tree. The driver then fled the scene on foot and has yet to be located by local law enforcement agencies.

Marion County emergency response teams arrived within a matter of minutes to assist the badly injured 45-year-old victim, who was quickly transported to the Ocala Regional Medical Center where he passed away shortly after arriving at the medical facility.

Anyone with relevant information pertaining to this fatal hit-and-run are asked to contact the Ocala Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 352-368-7867.

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.