Logo
  • News
    • Local
    • Miami-Dade
    • Broward
    • Florida
    • Trending
    • US & World
    • Politics
    • Help Me Howard
    • Hope and Healing
    • Investigations
    • Special Reports
    • Coronavirus
  • Weather
    • Forecast
    • Interactive Radar
    • Video Forecast
    • Hourly Forecast
    • Watches and Warnings
    • Forecast Models
    • Forecast Cone
    • 7Weather App
    • Hurricane Tips
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Miami Dolphins
    • Miami Heat
    • Miami Marlins
    • Florida Panthers
    • Miami Hurricanes
    • Florida Gators
    • Florida State Seminoles
  • Entertainment
    • Entertainment
    • Belkys’ Bite Blog
    • Bite with Belkys
    • Deco Drive
    • Shireen’s Favorite Things
  • …
    • Employment Opportunities
    • TV Listings
    • 7News Team
    • Watch 7News Live
    • Links Mentioned On Air
  • Search
Live News
°
  • News
    • Local
    • Miami-Dade
    • Broward
    • Florida
    • Trending
    • US & World
    • Politics
    • Help Me Howard
    • Hope and Healing
    • Investigations
    • Special Reports
    • Coronavirus
  • Weather
    • Forecast
    • Interactive Radar
    • Video Forecast
    • Hourly Forecast
    • Watches and Warnings
    • Forecast Models
    • Forecast Cone
    • 7Weather App
    • Hurricane Tips
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Miami Dolphins
    • Miami Heat
    • Miami Marlins
    • Florida Panthers
    • Miami Hurricanes
    • Florida Gators
    • Florida State Seminoles
  • Entertainment
    • Entertainment
    • Belkys’ Bite Blog
    • Bite with Belkys
    • Deco Drive
    • Shireen’s Favorite Things
  • …
    • Employment Opportunities
    • TV Listings
    • 7News Team
    • Watch 7News Live
    • Links Mentioned On Air

Share:

May 7, 2016
May 7, 2016

3 recovering after hit-and-run at Miramar bus stop; driver charged

sunbeam

MIRAMAR, Fla. (WSVN) — A pregnant woman and her two young children remain in the hospital after, police said, a driver barreled into them at a bus stop in Miramar, then sped away. That driver was located and arrested shortly after.

Miramar Police and Fire Rescue crews responded to the scene of the crash, in the area of University Drive and Pembroke Road, near a Wal-Mart, Saturday, just after 5 p.m. Investigators said a woman behind the wheel of an Infiniti sedan was heading south on University Drive when she swerved to pass slower cars ahead of her.

Witness Shaquana Brinson said she was driving down University Drive when the woman in the Infiniti almost ran her off the road. “She passed me, she started laughing,” she said.

Police said the woman then lost control of her vehicle, jumped the curb and crashed into the bus bench, striking the expecting mother and two children, ages 3 and 5, who were waiting at the stop.

“She actually flipped over the car, but the two kids, they actually only got ran over,” said Brinson. “‘The baby,’ [the pregnant woman] kept screaming. ‘Oh, my stomach, my stomach,’ like, it was her ribs, and the pregnant mom, she was basically just worried about her unborn child.”

Investigators said the driver continued to head south on University Drive, but at the next stoplight, near Miramar Parkway and Knolls Road, drivers who had witnessed the accident pulled the woman out of her car.

Cellphone video shows a man sitting on top of her as he waited for police to arrive. “We almost crashed trying to get her,” a witness is heard saying in the video.

The woman, later identified as 39-year-old Jessica Crane, was then taken into custody.

Police brought witnesses down to the stoplight where Crane was stopped to identify her. 7News cameras captured her being taken into an ambulance to be evaluated by medics.

According to Crane’s arrest affidavit, she appeared to be intoxicated. “I knew it was something. She was drunk or on drugs or something,” said Brinson.

All three victims were seriously injured. The pregnant woman was transported to Memorial Regional Hospital as a trauma alert. Her children were taken to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.

As of Monday morning, the mother remained in critical but stable condition. Later that afternoon, police finally identified her as Michelle James, after tracking down her family in Jamaica. Her children are expected to recover.

“Those innocent babies could have lost their lives, and that mom could have lost her unborn child,” said Brinson.

At around 9 p.m., officers led Crane away in handcuffs and put her in a squad car.

According to Crane’s arrest affidavit, once she was in the back of the patrol car, she spontaneously uttered, “These [expletive] Cubans are trying to get free money from me and a free ride to the hospital.”

Her affidavit also said she said she didn’t hit the people. Instead, the people hit her.

Brinson said she is counting her blessings. “I had my kids in the car, so all I was doing was praying that she don’t hurt me and my kids,” she said.

Crane appeared in bond court on Sunday. She was charged with three counts of failure to stop or remain at an accident involving serious injury, but detectives said additional charges may be added depending on what the investigation uncovers.

She is being held on $40,000 bond.

Police will not release the names of the victims until they notify family.

Copyright 2021 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Trending

  • Food Distributions
  • Where to get the COVID-19 vaccine in South Florida
  • Schumer: Trump impeachment trial to begin week of Feb. 8
  • FIU researchers training dogs to detect COVID-19 by smell
  • NFL giving free Super Bowl tickets to 7,500 health workers
  • Loyal dog waits for six days outside hospital for her sick owner
  • More Trending Stories

Trending

  • Food Distributions
  • Where to get the COVID-19 vaccine in South Florida
  • Schumer: Trump impeachment trial to begin week of Feb. 8
  • FIU researchers training dogs to detect COVID-19 by smell
  • NFL giving free Super Bowl tickets to 7,500 health workers
  • Loyal dog waits for six days outside hospital for her sick owner
  • More Trending Stories

This Week's Circulars

Daily news to your inbox

See a sample newsletter
Logo
Join us:
WSVN-TVSunbeam Television Corp
1401 79th Street Causeway
Miami, FL 33141
Switchboard: (305) 751-6692
Newsroom: (305) 795-2777
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF SERVICES
  • TV LISTINGS
  • CONTACT US
  • INTERNSHIPS
  • EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • WSVN FCC PUBLIC FILE
  • EEO PUBLIC FILE REPORT
  • CHILDRENS PROGRAMMING
  • ED ANSIN
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2021 WSVN-TV. All Rights Reserved. WSVN broadcast educational and informational programming for children, and file quarterly reports with the FCC detailing the station's outreach to children. The public may view the reports by going to www.WSVN.com and clicking on "FCC Public File," or by visiting the FCC's website at FCC.org. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.
Powered by WordPress.com VIP