Hit-and-run crash shut down traffic on NW 27th Avenue at SR 836/Dolphin Expressway
MIAMI — A hit-and-run crash shut down traffic on NW 27th Avenue just north of State Road 836/Dolphin Expressway for several hours on Friday morning.
According to police, they received a call about the crash, involving a red sedan and black SUV, around 4:40 a.m.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found a red Toyota in the middle of NW 27th Avenue at 11th Street.
"The driver of that vehicle was injured, severely, he's still in the hospital and we expect that he's going to recover but it's going to be a long road for him," said Miami police spokesman Mike Vega.
Vega said the SUV involved in the crash was found a short distance away.
"Based on what the detectives are telling us, the red vehicle was traveling northbound and the black vehicle, the SUV, was traveling southbound on 27th Avenue and they collided," said Vega.
Police, however, were unable to find the driver of the SUV.
"The driver took off on foot. So we set up a perimeter and tried looking for this suspect immediately. However, we were not able to locate him," said Vega.
Security video from a nearby Marathon gas station captured the driver running away.
"In this video provided by the Marathon gas station, it shows the suspect running away but then it shows him hiding behind a little building next to it but then he just decides to run away," said Vega. "All we know is that he had black sneakers with thick white bottoms and it looks like dark pants and no shirt."
Vega said since the vehicle was not reported stolen, they will most likely find him.
He added that running away made things worse for the driver.
"We talk about this all the time. If you are under the influence, or if you have no driver's license, or if you have no insurance, remain on the scene. You will face the consequences and you might get a slap on the hand. When you leave the scene, it just escalates to a felony," he said.
Vega also told CBS News Miami's Peter D'Oench, "We are eager to capture this person because he left that person not knowing if he was going to survive or not after this serious and horrific accident."
Nearly 25 percent of all crashes in Florida involve a hit and run, according to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Between 2015 and 2022, there were 96,146 hit-and-run crashes in the state of which 198 resulted in deaths.
Hit-and-run-related penalties can be severe for convictions. With property damage, it's a 2nd-degree misdemeanor with up to 60 days in prison and a $500 fine. With injuries, it's a 2nd- or 3rd-degree felony, and licenses can be revoked for at least 3 years and it can mean up to 5 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
With fatalities, it's a first-degree felony and licenses can be revoked for at least 3 years with a mandatory minimum of 4 years in prison and up to 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
A breakdown of accidents shows about 81% of hit-and-run fatalities occur during dawn, dusk or nighttime conditions.