OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Florida Highway Patrol troopers have found a suspect car and its driver after a man in a wheelchair was fatally struck by three vehicles near AdventHealth Kissimmee Friday morning, forcing lane closures.
The crash occurred on U.S. 441 (Orange Blossom Trail) in the area of Hilda Street, between Vine Street and Osceola Parkway, troopers said.
According to an FHP crash report, the suspect vehicle — described as a silver Lexus sedan — was traveling north on U.S. 441, along with a 2012 Kia Rio and a 2012 Ford Taurus.
The man in the wheelchair was traveling in a westerly direction across U.S. 441’s travel lanes, not in a marked crosswalk, and was struck by all three vehicles as a result, the report states. Troopers described the suspect vehicle as the second to be involved in the crash, behind the Kia and ahead of the Ford.
The person in the wheelchair — identified as a 31-year-old man from Muscatine, Iowa — was pronounced dead at the scene, according to FHP. The drivers of the Kia and the Ford — a 23-year-old Kissimmee man and a 42-year-old Kissimmee man, respectively — were not injured in the crash and remained at the scene, troopers said. The driver of the suspect vehicle took off, the report states.
In an update shared Friday afternoon, troopers said the suspect vehicle and person of interest had been located.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call FHP at *347 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477.
Northbound and southbound U.S. 441 were temporarily shut down in the area, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. Southbound lanes have since reopened while northbound lanes were still blocked at the time of this report, troopers said.
No further details have been shared or confirmed.
If involved in a crash, stay at the scene, call for help, and follow these steps:
1. Make sure you and any passengers are okay. Remain calm.
2. If possible, move to the side of the road. Remove your keys if you get out of your vehicle, move off the roadway, and stay in a safe area.
3. Check on others involved. Call 911 if anyone might be injured or a vehicle is inoperable.
4. If there are no injuries or major property damage, gather information. Get the name, driver license, insurance, and tag information from the other driver(s). Take photos of the vehicles and information if you can’t write it down and then file a report online.
Learn more about hit-and-run penalties here.
FHP
This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.
Note: This map depicts the general area of this crash and not necessarily an exact location.