Tip Leads To Car Possibly Involved In Hallandale Beach Hit And Run
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A tip led Hallandale Beach police to a car which may have been involved in a hit and run accident Monday afternoon which left a young girl seriously injured.
The accident happened around 12:15 p.m. on Foster Road and NW 7th Avenue. A witness said the 12-year old Shania Jackson was trying to cross the street near Foster Park when she was hit by a small red or maroon car.
"I just saw the car going, then I saw her get hit," said Eljuste Louissant. "I just saw her fly in the air."
"We saw a lot of police and we saw her laying on the floor," said Joseph Biennestin.
Jackson was brought to Joe Dimaggio Children's Hospital in critical condition.
Neighbors who live the area are outraged that the driver left Jackson for dead in the street.
"They left her there which is very sad, I mean, this is a child," said Jessica Tucker. "This is a human being, at least stop to see, to care for her."
Friends of Jackson said they are heartbroken and can't believe the driver would leave her on the street.
"She's fun," said Santita McKellar. "She's a good little girl. I broke down crying."
"That was wrong for that man because he should have stopped," said Teirra Louissaint.
"He ran, he hit and run," said Joseph. "This person is very mean, not nice and he sees the person in the road, he has brakes on the car, he should use them."
Investigators said the tip led them to a car at parked at home near where Jackson was hit, the caller said it looked the driver was ditching it. The vehicle matched the description of the one involved in the accident.
Hallandale Beach police said the people who live in the home where the car was found were not involved in the accident.
Parents who live in the area were shaken when they heard about what had happened. They said Jackson could have been anyone's child.
"If it was my son I would definitely be devastated," said Jessica Tucker. "My heart and prayers go out to the family and I hope she pulls through."
The accident has also raised concerns about speeding and pedestrian safety on Foster Road. A few hours after Jackson was hit, a person on the bicycle was hit on the same street.
"These drivers really need to slow down,' said Tucker. "The community needs to come together to try and put some kind of light there, a caution light or something, to make that area more safe."
An area business said they were putting together a petition to get speed bumps on Foster Road. Hallandale Beach Commissioner William Julian said drivers speeding of Foster Road is a problem and he would support putting speed control devices on the road to get drivers to slow down.
