MIAMI (WSVN) - Police are searching for a truck driver who, they said, took off after striking an elderly man who was riding his scooter in Miami, sending the victim to the hospital in critical condition.
City of Miami Police and Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the crash near Southwest First Street and 14th Avenue, at around 10 a.m., Sunday.
According to witness Alfred Lugones, the driver of the truck only stopped for a moment.
“I heard the impact. He stopped there for a little bit, he looked back, he took off. That’s the last we saw of him,” he said.
Lugones said the impact was so strong that it knocked the victim from the scooter.
“The truck, after it hit him, dragged him and went over him a little bit,” he said. “I went over him a little bit. I walked over, and I saw him laying next to the actual moped, and he didn’t look too good.”
The crash left the rider with severe injuries, officials said.
“He was bleeding from here, but hardly any blood, and he was breathing slightly, just going like this, and then he stopped moving,” said Lugones.
Paramedics transported the rider to Ryder Trauma Center, where he remains in critical condition as of Monday afternoon.
Detectives spent hours at the scene searching for clues near the mangled scooter in the hopes they will lead police to the getaway driver.
“It’s horrible, man. This is a bad area,” said Lugones. “That corner is very dangerous, it really is. You got to watch it there.”
If you have any information on this hit-and-run or 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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