Lakeland woman riding stand-up scooter injured in hit-and-run crash, deputies say
William Anderson, 64, is charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving serious injury, tampering with evidence, and driving with a suspended/ revoked license. [Credit: Polk County Sheriff's Office]
LAKE MARY, Fla. - Deputies in Polk County said a 19-year-old woman was critically injured in an alleged hit-and-run crash that happened over the weekend. An arrest was made a short time later due to evidence left at the scene by the accused driver, investigators said.
According to deputies, 64-year-old William Anderson, of Lakeland, struck the woman who was riding a stand-up scooter on Reynolds Road at Lisa Lane before leaving the scene.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Polk County Fire Rescue were notified of the crash and responded to the scene around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday. The victim was taken to a local hospital with serious head and leg injuries, deputies said.
"From the preliminary investigation, it was determined that the victim was traveling north on Reynolds Road near the center of the northbound lane when she was hit from behind. The victim landed on the hood of the vehicle then fell into the east shoulder of the road," read a news release from the sheriff's office. "Several broken pieces from the suspect’s vehicle were left at the scene of the crash, and from that, detectives were able to determine the make/model, year range, and color of the suspect’s vehicle."
After Anderson was identified as a possible suspect, detectives went to his home where they said he opened the door and told them, "I was waiting for y’all to come looking for me."
Anderson was taken into custody and charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving serious injury, tampering with evidence, and driving with a suspended/revoked license.
"The detectives and crime analyst on this case did extraordinary work in getting this suspect locked up so fast; he was in our jail within eight hours of him leaving his victim on the side of the road to die. The victim is in critical, but stable condition, and we pray for her quick and full recovery," said Sheriff Grady Judd.
The crash remains under investigation.