NEAR MIAMI, Fla. (WSVN) — The family of a man who was killed in a hit-and-run near Miami is pleading for the driver responsible to come forward.
Ramon Rodriguez, 74, was struck while crossing Southwest Eighth Street near 44th Avenue, just after 6:40 p.m., Saturday.
7News cameras captured several signs, including one that read “RIP Ramon,” placed on the ground where he was found. Tuesday night, Dayamy Rodriguez, the victim’s daughter, visited the area and could be seen fixing some of the signs.
Rigoberto Rodriguez, a friend of the victim, said he found the victim’s phone on the road, but there was no trace of him. After hearing a loud scream, he ran towards the street and used his cellphone to look for his friend.
“He was here wedged between the wall and the bushes,” he said. “He was hidden in there. You could barely see him. If it wasn’t for the light on my phone, I wouldn’t have been able to see him.”
Rodriguez’s family said the 73-year-old lived in the area and had purchased lottery tickets at a nearby gas station before he was struck.
Cellphone video from that night showed investigators shutting down the streets where the hit-and-run took place.
“Now having this happen to him, I can’t believe it,” Dayamy said.
Luis Suarez, the victim’s son-in-law, said he wants the driver of the vehicle that hit Rodriguez and fled to surrender to police.
“They hit him so hard that he flew almost 30 yards away,” Suarez said. “I say to the person that hit my father-in-law, hit-and-run, to please turn himself in. You know, that’s so mean, you know, that is happening already. Two days and a half, and he haven’t had conscious of what he did.”
According to Rodriguez’s family, the stretch of Calle Ocho where the 73-year-old was hit is very dark, and they would like to see more lights and a crosswalk added to the street.
“We like also that the mayor of the city do something for that street,” Dayamy said. “There’s no light.”
The family also added that this is not the first time a deadly crash has happened in the area.
They are hopeful that surveillance cameras captured a clue that will help investigators solve the case.
“He was a hard-working man,” Suarez said. “Everybody loved him. It could happen to my father-in-law today. It could happen to anybody tomorrow.”
7News has reached out to Miami-Dade Police for more information on the case.
If you have any information on this fatal hit-and-run, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
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