COCOA, Fla. — The Florida Highway Patrol is looking for the person who drove over a pedestrian in Cocoa who had just been hit by another vehicle.
The 55-year-old victim didn’t survive his injuries, troopers said.
The fatal crash happened around 8 p.m. on Friday near the intersection of Clearlake Road and Melrose Street in Cocoa.
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According to troopers, a part-time Cocoa resident attempted to cross the street directly into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
“It’s a dark area. There’s not much lighting in the area, it’s one light. The pedestrian is wearing darker clothing and he’s crossing into the roadway; he has everything working against him,” said FHP Lt. Channing Taylor.
The driver who initially struck the 55-year-old victim stopped, and a witness pulled over to call 911. That’s when that second vehicle struck the man lying in the roadway.
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Troopers are confident that the second driver should have known they hit something or someone.
“I believe they should have known, based on the dynamics of the crash, the fact there was a person trying to wave traffic at the time,” Taylor said.
Troopers believe the driver of the car that initially struck the pedestrian caused the victim’s fatal injuries.
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That driver had a valid license and wasn’t impaired, so isn’t facing charges.
However, if identified, the driver who left the scene could be charged with a felony.
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Troopers have some surveillance videos, but it was very dark at the time of the accident.
“The homicide investigators are going to sift through the parts that were at the scene to see what matches up with the first vehicle and what doesn’t,” Taylor said.
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