ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Dashcam video shows a hit-and-run crash that knocked a pair of bicyclists to the ground Sunday at an intersection in Orange County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
In the video, the two bicyclists — a woman and a man — can be seen crossing Conroy Windermere Road in a northwardly direction at its intersection with Dr. Phillips Boulevard. While in a marked crosswalk, riding their bicycles past cars stopped for a red light on Conroy Windermere Road, the front wheel of the woman’s bicycle was struck by the left side of a white vehicle being driven through the red light.
The woman fell to the ground as the man — identified as Brad Elliott — ran over her now-damaged bike, causing him to fall as well. Both were taken to a hospital for treatment after witnesses gathered around the pair to check on them in the street.
[WATCH DASHCAM VIDEO HERE]
The suspect vehicle was further described as a 2009 four-door Toyota Corolla which continued west on Conroy Windermere Road after striking the woman’s bicycle, troopers said.
Elliott said he is counting his blessings in the aftermath of the crash.
“I wasn’t really able to stop. I didn’t want to land on her because I knew she was already hurt bad,” he told News 6. “If she had been there a second sooner, I’d be planning a funeral.
He added that his wife, Sheryl, is recovering after she suffered injuries to her face, arms and knees.
“My wife at this point looks like she might lose the vision in her eye, and that’s a life-changing, life-altering event,” Elliott said.
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Troopers said they’re having a difficult time reading the tag number from the video taken of the hit-and-run vehicle, but they hope images from a nearby red-light camera will help them track down the driver.
“That’s just reckless to be driving that fast and weaving in and out of traffic like they were,” Lt. Channing Taylor said of the driver. “And to run that red light like that, that’s just unacceptable.”
Elliott said he’s thankful for the people who rushed over to help after the crash. However, he said that he and his wife made one mistake.
“We have very nice helmets, and we weren’t wearing them. I don’t know if it would have done any good, but it certainly didn’t do any good not having a helmet,” he said.
Troopers said that once caught, the hit-and-run driver will face charges of leaving the scene of a crash with injuries.
Those with information about the crash should dial *FHP or 1-800-423-8477 to speak with Crimeline.
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