LAUDERHILL, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have recovered a car belonging to a driver who, they said, was involved in a multi-vehicle collision that left one woman dead and seven people injured in Lauderhill, then sped away.
Friday afternoon, all that remains near State Road 7, across from Lauderhill Mall, is a mangled bus stop sign and fallen tree branches. However, only 24 hours earlier, the scene was very different and a lot more graphic.
Surveillance footage shows a Thursday afternoon crash that took the life of one woman and injured several others.
Video shows a vehicle losing control and plunging into two bystanders on the sidewalk, at around noon. The vehicle then continued flying into the nearby bus stop, hitting people sitting on the bench.
Police said those two bystanders on the sidewalk were 57-year-old Helaine Elize and her sister, Elsiane Tulisse. Elize was pronounced dead at the scene, while Tulisse suffered severe injuries.
All of the drivers involved in the crash stayed on scene, except for one – the driver of a 2005 red Dodge Neon with the Florida license plate, HGKS80.
Friday night, police announced they had located and recovered the vehicle in Margate. The motorist remains at large.
Police said the chain-reaction crash was the result of reckless driving. “Witnesses observed two vehicles driving erratically northbound on State Road 7,” said Lauderhill Police Lt. Mike Santiago.
Earlier on Friday, mourners gathered at Elize’s home, where 7News cameras captured family members weeping openly.
Jobert Valcourt, Elize’s husband of many years, could be seen grieving his wife. “Helaine is my wife. We were married in Haiti,” he said.
Valcourt described his late wife as hardworking and kind. “She was a nice person to everybody. She was nice to me and to everybody,” he said.
If you have any information about that driver’s whereabouts, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
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