A Miami man was killed on impact early Saturday morning crossing Interstate 75 on foot. He was hit by a pickup truck and run over by an unknown vehicle.
The incident occurred around 3:22 a.m. near mile marker 394, the Florida Highway Patrol news release read. FHP spokesperson Patrick Riordan said the marker is approximately six miles from the High Springs exit, and it’s unclear as to why the victim was crossing the interstate or what mental or physical state the victim was in.
Riordan said the names of the victims are not released because of Marcy’s Law, which prevents identifiable information of a victim or their family to be disclosed.
The 41-year-old victim was struck twice on the interstate: first by a pickup truck driven by a 33-year-old Kentucky resident with two female passengers and later run over by an unknown vehicle in a hit-and-run, the release read. Both vehicles were traveling south on I-75.
As of Saturday afternoon, no arrests have been made, Riordan said.
The Kentucky man reported the incident, and highway patrol officers arrived at the scene at around 3:45 a.m., Riordan said. Lanes surrounding the road were closed until about 8:30 a.m. for investigators to document the incident. Traffic was diverted southbound at the 399 mile marker near the High Springs exit.
“When you do have a collision around this type you can have body parts and evidence spread over a pretty large area,” Riordan said. “So what our investigators have to do is they have to go out [and]map the scene.”
Riordan said drivers were allowed to leave after being interviewed, but the vehicle is kept for around five days to process it for evidence.
“We do a very thorough inspection of the vehicle,” Riordan said. “We can get all the information we need to get off of their vehicles for the type of damage, the amount of crushed damage, any irregularities like as far as faulty equipment on their vehicle.”
Riordan said the investigation is predicted to take about 90 days.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Isabella Douglas at idouglas@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @Ad_Scribendum.
Isabella Douglas is a fourth-year journalism major and the Fall 2023 editor-in-chief for The Alligator. She has previously worked as the digital managing editor, metro editor, criminal justice reporter and as a news assistant. When she isn't reporting, she can be found reorganizing her bookshelf and adding books to her ever-growing TBR.
