SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – The family and friends of a 42-year-old man who was killed in a hit-and-run are still looking for answers.
The owners of Gators Riverside Grill, the former workplace of Clint Welch — a man killed during a hit-and-run more than a week ago — hosted a memorial service Tuesday to remember him.
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Multiple people who knew and loved him went before the crowd to share fond memories.
They ended the memorial service with a prayer for Welch and tossed dozens of roses in the river.
“We always knew that he had family here at gators, that they loved and cared about him,” Clint’s brother Hunter Welch said. “We didn’t know how much.”
Welch was killed in a hit-and-run crash on May 22, 2022. The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) said a vehicle swerved on Lemon Bluff Road near Osteen, trying to avoid Clint, who was lying in the Road.
The driver ran him over, but troopers said Welch was struck by an unknown vehicle at an unknown time prior to that collision.
“If he would [have] stopped and maybe helped him, he may be alive today,” co-owner of Gators Riverside Grille, Edward Winters said.
His wife and co-owner of the Grille, Bea Winters, said the whole incident is horrific.
“He was a good guy, a hard worker,” Bea said.
She said he never complained and just did his job. She joked, saying she never had the chance to yell at him on the job.
“But I’m [going to] yell at him now for leaving us,” she said.
Originally, the restaurant was offering $5,000 for information leading to an arrest.
Thanks to Welch’s uncle, the award is now set to $10,000.
“If you are out there, and you know anything about this whatsoever, please come forward,” Edward said.
After the memorial ended, the group went to the crash site where they placed a cross in his memory.
“He was my older brother. He was my hero. It broke my heart immediately, and it’s still broken,” Hunter said. “It’s never going to heal.”
The family is urging the person responsible to do the right thing.
FHP said they are looking for an older-model Chevrolet or Dodge pickup truck. Troopers said it has a lift with green and white neon lights underneath.
If you have any information, call FHP or the Crimeline.