ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A 28-year-old Orlando woman was killed in a hit-and-run crash Saturday morning not far south from the University of Central Florida’s main campus, and authorities are now searching for a pickup truck that troopers believe struck her and fled.
The crash was reported at 3:21 a.m. on Bonneville Drive, north of Scranton Avenue, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The woman, later identified as Skye Van Dyne, was riding a motorized scooter northbound ahead of a vehicle that struck her and left the scene in the same direction, troopers said.
“There are two little boys out there that will never get to know their mother,” said Angie Giurtino, who says she is the mother of the victim.
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Emotional and angry, Giurtino said she needs help getting results to find out the driver who hit and killed her daughter
“I want to know who did this, somebody knows, somebody knows who did this,” Giurtino said.
Traffic homicide investigators found pieces of a front-right headlight where the collision occurred, believed to be from an unknown-colored Ford F-250 or F-350 between model years 2020-2022. Due to the possibility that such a pickup truck was involved in the fatal crash, troopers urged anyone with information about the vehicle — which troopers said should have damage to its front-right headlight — to call FHP at 407-737-2213 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477 to remain anonymous.
“The speed is still under investigation, but we do know the driver must be aware that they struck something, because they do have damage to their vehicle,” said Lt. Tara Crescenzi with Florida Highway Patrol.
The fatal crash marks the latest in a string of hit-and-runs reported so far this month across Central Florida.
“It is absolutely tragic what is going on in our community that these hit-and-runs are so prevalent,” Lt. Crescenzi said.
Florida Highway Patrol say Vandyne’s death marks the 5th hit-and-run in the month of February. It is also the 2nd fatality since the start of the year.
A teenager on a skateboard in Winter Garden was left in critical condition Thursday after being struck in a hit-and-run crash near 4200 Winter Garden Vineland Road, according to police; a bicyclist on Red Bug Lake Road was severely injured Tuesday in a hit-and-run crash that troopers said led to the arrest of a 41-year-old man the same day; a pedestrian died at a hospital after being struck Feb. 5 at 10th Street and Belvedere Road in Orange County by a vehicle that fled the scene, according to FHP; and police in Sanford continue to search for a sedan that was driven away after striking a motorcyclist Feb. 2 on U.S. Highway 17-92.
The Florida Highway Patrol is reminding Floridians about the consequences of leaving the scene of a crash and the challenges law enforcement face when investigating a hit-and-run crash.
Feburary also marks the department’s annual Hit-and-Run Awareness campaign as they hope to get results and mitigate future crashes. Troopers say if a person is involved in a crash, stay at the scene and call for help. Leaving the scene of a crash that results in property damage, injury, or death is against the law. Learn more on their website here.
“Stay at the scene, call for help it could be the difference between saving that person’s life,” Lt. Crescenzi said.
Van Dyne’s mother set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral costs.
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