ORLANDO, Fla. – A 64-year-old Orlando man remains in critical condition after he was hit by a car while riding his moped in Orange County, the Florida Highway Patrol said Wednesday.
Troopers found the car, a 1996 Honda Accord with damage to its windshield, earlier in the day, but the driver is still being sought.
The hit-and-run crash happened about 4:40 a.m. Tuesday on Colonial Drive near Forsythe Road.
The FHP said moped rider Clarence Hadler, 64, was hit from behind. The Honda driver failed to slow down, and hit the back of the moped, throwing Hadler, who was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center.
FHP said the Honda was found in a subdivision in a family's driveway, sitting in neutral not far from the accident site. They said the car had black and gray hair on the front bumper and a broken windshield that matches the crash.
The hair found on the car was sent to the crime lab to see if it's a positive match to Hadler.
Detectives said they've spoken to the owner of the car. The owner said they last saw the car at 6 o'clock the night before the crash at their home, and it wasn't until the next day they realized it was missing.
They reported it stolen 10 hours after the crash, but the FHP said the car wasn't registered to be on the road in the first place.
The FHP said it is now working on getting a warrant to search the inside of the Honda and see if there's more evidence inside.
Hadler is known to many as Duffy. Hadler’s friends said his arms and legs were broken and he is suffering from severe swelling of the brain.
"It was just unbelievable," said Angie Mottola, a co-worker. "Like, you don't want to believe something like that. He's been through a lot in his lifetime, so I know he's going to pull through this."
Mottola said it's a sad atmosphere inside the Corkroom bar, where Hadler works, after people found out he was hit and left in the road.
"I think I was the last one to see him on Tuesday night when he left,” Mottola said. “We had just closed and he was on his way home.”
Mottola added that Hadler works as the bar back, stocking beer and ice.
“It’s terrible that somebody hit him and left,” said Ollie Mitchell, a friend. “… I have no idea why it was — incredible.”
On Wednesday night, Hadler’s friends tilted the chair where he usually sits. They hope he’ll survive.
“When people first got here, he always sat right in that first chair,” Mottola said. “He would always be like, ‘Hey Duffy, how you doing?’ Right now, they got his coffee cup there. (It’s) kind of like a faith thing. (We) hope he'll be back.”
His friends have a message for the driver who took off.
“They're gonna find you, and I hope you get justice for it," Mitchell said.
Anyone with information on the driver is asked to call police, or Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.