Local mom pleads for help finding hit & run driver who left son seriously injured

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — A Central Florida mother is speaking out after her son was hit by a car and left for dead.

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Catherine Braun says on March 18, a man walking his dog near the intersection of Narcoossee Rd. and Constance Blvd. in St. Cloud heard what sounded like a cry for help. He followed his instincts and found Catherine’s 24-year-old son John Braun lying on the sidewalk, badly hurt.

Braun says investigators think her son was there for at least 30 minutes before help arrived.

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“As soon as I saw him, I just broke down,” Braun said. “He looked like I’d never seen him before.”

Braun says just hours before the incident, John was walking home from work after an overnight shift at McDonald’s.

“I talked to him…I said OK, I’m going to turn my phone off now…because I know you’re on your way home,” Braun recalled. “That morning, I’m thinking my son is here sleeping…no. I finally check my phone, my sister’s texting me from California saying ‘John’s at Osceola Regional, you need to get over there right away.’”

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Braun recalls walking into the hospital and seeing her son bandaged and badly injured. When she finally started piecing together what happened through state troopers and the hospital, Braun says she learned he had been hit by a driver who left the scene.

VIDEO: FHP seeking vehicle from March hit & run involving pedestrian The Florida Highway Patrol is asking for help from the public tracking down the car from a hit and run crash in March that sent a man to the hospital. (Charles Frazier, WFTV.com/WFTV)

The Florida Highway Patrol released video of the crash in an attempt to get help tracking down the driver. Troopers say they believe the car is a dark-colored Tesla Model 3 with a missing hubcap and side-swipe damage to the front right side.

“I just hope he gets caught,” Braun said. “I plea to the public. Please help me.”

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FHP is asking any mechanics or auto body shops in the area that have made repairs matching that description to contact them at (407) 737-2213. Anyone else with information on the crash is also asked to call. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can contact FHP through CRIMELINE at 1-800-423-8477

There’s also a GoFundMe set up for John here.

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