HIALEAH GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - Authorities are searching for the driver responsible for rear-ending a Road Ranger’s truck on the Florida Turnpike in Hialeah Gardens.
Road Ranger Salvador Romero said he was just wrapping up helping a driver stranded with a flat tire along the southbound lanes near Okeechobee Road when he had his own traffic issue, early Saturday morning.
“Got the last bit of my cones, put them in the truck. The minute I get them in the truck to call my 98, meaning leaving the scene, boom, I get struck,” he said.
Romero was sitting in his truck when he was slammed in the back by a Mazda Protegé. He said the two people in the car fled the scene on foot.
“They just took off, and one of them opened up the vehicle and tried to ask me what was going on, asking me if I was there,” he said, “so, obviously, I was there because my lights are on and stuff like that, and they just flee the scene.”
Romero suffered minor injuries.
One passenger didn’t get far. They were stopped by Florida Highway Patrol troopers about a mile north of the crash scene.
The driver, however, is still on the loose. He likely suffered some substantial injuries after his face hit the windshield in the crash.
Romero said the incident serves as a cautionary tale to anyone who experiences a traffic mishap on a highway.
“We never have our backs facing traffic, so I was facing traffic, so lucky for me,” he said. “I’m very lucky, ’cause a lot of crazy things happen here.”
FHP troopers did not charge the passenger.
If you have any information on the driver’s whereabouts, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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