SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — The month of February is hit-and-run consciousness month in Florida. According to the Florida Department of Highway security and Motor Vehicles, there have been 515,957 hit-and-run crashed within the state final 12 months. Out of these crashes, 1,251 of them have been fatalities.
A Sarasota County household shared their private story with 10 Tampa Bay. In August 2022, 13-year-old Lilly Glaubach was hit by a driver whereas driving her bike dwelling from faculty.
“None of it seemed real and we were driving up to the hospital saying her leg must be badly broken or something like that,” Lilly’s step-dad, Paul Alexander, mentioned.
The man accused of hitting Lilly and leaving the scene is David Chang. Paul says there have been no indicators Chang tried to press the breaks after hitting Lilly. He says Chang’s actions after the incident are even tougher to know.
“He made the decision to drive to Tampa with a hole in his windshield to say a tree fell on his car,” he defined.
A choose will quickly decide on how a lot time Chang will serve. In the meantime, Lilly’s household is hoping to get justice.
“There should be a harsher sentence for someone who’s running and has a disregard for human life,” Lilly’s mother, Sarah, mentioned.
Out of the greater than 500,000 lethal hit and run crashes within the state of Florida in 2022, 144 concerned pedestrians and 50 concerned bicyclists.
If you ever have information on a hit-and-run crash, you’ll be able to report it by calling *FHP (*347) or report it anonymously to Florida Crime Stoppers at 800-873-8477 (TIPS).