February is Hit-and-Run Awareness Month. In South Florida, leaving the scene of a crash has grow to be all too frequent.
Thursday morning, a lady was strolling alongside Southwest twenty second Terrace and Southwest twenty seventh Avenue in Miami, when police say she was struck by a hit-and-run driver who took off.
On Jan. 31, Aristides Maza Duerto says he was on a routine bicycle trip going south on Crandon Boulevard close to the doorway of Key Biscayne, when his cousin, Carlos Trevisson Maza, was hit by a automobile.
“He had two frontal concussions, four broken ribs and one punctured lung,” mentioned Aristides Maza Duerto.
Over three weeks because the crash, the 48-year-old continues to be within the hospital with extreme accidents after he flipped off his bike from the impression.
“He is not himself yet. He can’t do simple math. The doctors say full recovery could take between three or six months,” mentioned Maza Duerto.
His cousin is predicted to be discharged from the hospital on Saturday, however he has an extended street to restoration and hefty hospital payments. The driver at fault continues to be at giant.
These scenes play out all too typically within the Sunshine State. According to statistics from Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, hit-and-run crashes on Florida roads common over 103,000 per yr. Over the previous 5 years, there have been 1,251 fatalities from hit-and-runs in Florida.
The numbers just lately went down, however leaving the scene of an accident has grow to be a disturbing pattern.
“In the last year of 2020, we had a lot of increase in hit-and-run crashes. In 2022, that number decreased to approximately 105,000 hit-and-run crashes but that’s still a lot for South Florida and Florida overall. That includes in our fatality rates, we have approximately 266 fatalities that were a cause of a hit and run crash so that’s still very major,” mentioned Lieutenant Indiana Miranda with the Florida Highway Patrol.
Troopers say there could possibly be varied the reason why folks don’t cease.
“Lots of people that go away the scene, one is panic,” said Lieutenant Miranda. “We have loads of first-time drivers, now we have loads of tourism and lots of people go away as a result of they don’t have insurance coverage. People don’t have a driver’s license or it’s suspended.”
As a part of Hit and Run Awareness Month, FHP desires to remind drivers that there are stiff penalties for leaving the scene.
“When you have property damage or any injuries you can spend up to 60 days in jail and you have high fines and attorneys fees, court fees and a $500 fine. Now if that results in a death where somebody dies as a result of that crash then you can face up to 30 years in jail and up to a $10,000 fine,” mentioned Lieutenant Miranda.
“Accidents happen, but then the moment you leave, it is a felony,” mentioned Maza Duerto.
If you have got information on a hit-and-run crash, you may report it by calling *FHP (*347) or report it anonymously to Florida Crime Stoppers by calling **TIPS (**8477).