Two young teenagers were seriously injured by a hit-and-run driver recently in Seminole County. The teenagers, who had been skateboarding at the time, were both hit simultaneously by an oncoming car.
The Florida Highway Patrol says that the car was travelling down Lake Howell when it struck the teens at the Maywood Road intersection just before midnight. A witness said the car barely slowed at all before speeding away.
Between the witness description and a side mirror recovered from the scene, authorities believe the suspected car is a 2014 or 2015 gray or silver Mazda 3.
Both victims were seriously injured, and one of the boys is still in critical condition as of now. A third boy and friend of the two injured has said that it is painful to know that the person who hurt his friends so badly is still out there somewhere.
Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Kim Montes says that if the driver had stayed at the scene and had a valid license, he or she would likely not have been at fault since the boys were in the street. However, because the driver fled, if caught they could be looking at up to 30 years in prison.
Hit-and-run drivers are a plague on the roads. The Florida Department of Transportation claims that the number of hit-and-run fatalities has increased as much as 23 percent between 2013 and 2014 and continues to rise. They also say one in four car accidents are hit-and-run crashes.
It is notoriously difficult to bring a hit-and-run driver to justice. Police emphasize the importance of remaining calm and talking to all potential witnesses. Contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible so that they too can help you to find the driver responsible.