Teen injured in hit-and-run crash remains critical; family hopeful

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Parents Nilda and Manuel Galarza are holding onto hopes and prayers for their 18-year-old son, Emmanuel Omar Galaraza. “We’re praying, God is answering our prayers everyday.  There’s a little bit of hope the doctor gives us,” Galarza said.

The teen was long boarding in September with a friend on Lake Howell Rd in Seminole County  when they were hit by a car, that fled the scene.  Brandyn Keif, 19, suffered minor injuries, Galarza suffered a traumatic head injury and is in an induced coma, and remains in the ICU in critical condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center.

“We need to know, we need to know who did this who did it,” said Manuel Galarza fighting back tears. “We do know that justice has to be done, we know that someone can’t do this and just forget that young boys, wonderful kids, young men, are left for dead on the road,” said Nilda Galarza.

Florida Highway Patrol says they’ve followed up on several leads but still have not located the Mazda 3 that they believe hit the teens and then took off.  “We want to see him walk and talk and be able to go back to college,”  Galarza said.

A GoFundMe page has also been set up for Emmanuel Galarza.  You can link the page here.