FHP looking for driver responsible for injuring 12-year-old in Avalon Park hit-and-run
Exclusive: Florida mom wants change after son hit by vehicle crossing street
A Florida mom said her middle school-aged son was struck by a vehicle while on his bike in Avalon Park, and that the driver took off. She is now working with police and neighbors to make a busy intersection a little safer for those crossing the street.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - After receiving a frantic call from her son last Friday, Felicia Lakharam says she found the 12-year-old boy lying in the middle of the street, next to his bike, at the intersection of Auburn Cove Lane and Avalon Park E. Blvd.
She took FOX 35 News to where the hit-and-run happened. "My son was right there in the corner, and he waited until the road was clear, and it sometimes looks very clear," she explains. "But as the cars are speeding, you never know when it’s your unlucky day and unfortunately, at that point, he was in the middle of the road that person came and hit him and then left him."
Orange County Fire Rescue responded and took the middle schooler to the hospital. Now his mom says her son is at home, recovering from his injuries. "As he flew up, he hit the ground," she says. "He right now has a fractured patella, and we’re not sure about his spinal cord injuries at the moment."
Lakharam says she is now working with neighbors to see what they can get done to slow down drivers and make it safer for people living in the area. "How about like the pedestrian walkway sign? Like the lights, something blinking to show hey there are pedestrians waiting across the street," she suggested.
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) is investigating this hit-and-run. FHP reports a witness told them it was a silver sedan that hit the boy and drove off, but the witness was unable to obtain a license plate number. If you have any information, you are asked to contact FHP or CRIMELINE at 800-423-TIPS (8477).