Family still waiting for answers one year after Nick Miner was killed in crash
Family still seeks answers after son's death
It's been one year since Nick Miner, who played quarterback at East River High School, was hit and killed in a crash. His family is still waiting for an investigation to come to an end. Miner was trying to help pull another car out of a ditch when another driver ran into him.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Monday, Oct. 23, marked one year since Nick Miner, a quarterback at East River High School in Orlando, was struck and killed while helping another driver out of a ditch.
A year later, Miner's family and friends are still waiting for the Florida Highway Patrol's investigation to be completed and the results to be released.
According to FHP's initial crash report, the 18-year-old stopped on the side of Dallas Blvd., near Oberly Parkway, around 1 a.m. to help pull a gray Ford F-150 out of a ditch. However, the 27-year-old driver of a white Honda Insight failed to see Miner or his white Ford F-150 and hit the side of Miner's truck. He was thrown from the vehicle and later died.
Two others – a 17-year-old girl and a 20-year-old woman – were standing next to the gray Ford F-150 when the crash happened. Both were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.
No arrests or charges have been made against the driver, pending the outcome of FHP's investigation, which has frustrated the Miner family.
FOX 35 reached out to a spokesperson for FHP late Monday for an update on the case, but did not immediately hear back. Tuesday morning, a spokesperson confirmed that FHP has completed its investigation, but the results need to be reviewed before being released to the public.
In December 2022, FHP told FOX 35 it was still waiting on and evaluating evidence, interviews, toxicology results, and physical evidence related to the case.
Family and friends gathered Monday night around a memorial at the spot where Miner died. The family told FOX 35 that they hadn't heard much about the investigation.
"The community has been amazing," said Deanna Miner, Nick's mother. "I really don’t think we’d be able to get through all this without them. His friends, they constantly check up on us."
"We’ve noticed whenever other parents that have dealt with this, whenever their case gets closed, they do have this like weight lifted up, there’s closure," said Derek Miner, Nick's father. "They can finally start moving forward. And right now it’s just been a really, really long wait."