ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A 62-year-old Orlando woman was struck and killed while crossing a road early Monday in Orange County, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The fatal crash was reported at 1:17 a.m. on Orange Blossom Trail at 40th Street.
According to the FHP, the woman, whose name has not been released, was walking across OBT when she was struck by a Chevrolet sport utility vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators said the victim was not walking in a crosswalk when she was hit.
The driver left the scene after the crash, troopers said.
The vehicle involved in the crash was described as a black SUV with a Florida Gators decal on the top left corner of the back of it.
News 6 is not releasing the victim's name until troopers have notified her family; however, people who knew the victim said she was a caring and giving person.
"I love her spirit. She was like a mother that everybody wanted," the victim's neighbor, Angelette Washington, said. "She’ll joke with you, she’ll feed you, she’ll ask 'Oh you got some food? I got some food in here.'"
A family friend said he was heartbroken to hear the news.
"Today, we were going to the beach, Daytona Beach. That’s why I came to pick her up," the man said, asking not to be identified.
He said his family's holiday plans have been ruined by tragedy.
"She was a good, giving lady, I don’t understand why someone would do this to her," he said, adding, "How would he feel if someone did it to his mother or his daughter?"
Anyone with information about the SUV is asked to call FHP at 407-737-2213 or Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.