A female UF student was hit on her scooter near University Park Arboretum Thursday evening.
A silver GMC truck heading east on West University Avenue turned abruptly onto Northwest 23rd Street and hit the unidentified student just after 5 p.m. in the opposite lane.
The student had serious injuries and was taken to UF Health Shands Hospital, where she is in stable condition as of Friday afternoon, Gainesville Police Department spokesperson Graham Glover said.
Police have not released the student’s identity, as of Friday afternoon.
Police identified the driver as 39-year-old Daniel Lowell Screws Jr. in the hit-and-run and are searching for him, Glover said. In GPD’s press release Friday morning, they ask anyone with information on Screws to contact 911 immediately.
Screws had a speeding citation in 2010 in Levy County and another speeding citation in 2008 in Citrus County. He also was charged with two misdemeanors with guilty adjudications for trespassing and larceny in 2017, according to court documents.
For about an hour Thursday, police closed off a portion of West University Avenue as the student’s backpack, helmet and one shoe were laid out in the street along with her scooter torn in half. The area has since been cleared.
This hit-and-run is the newest in a string of accidents and fatalities involving UF students — Maggie Paxton, Sophia Lambert and Denise Griffiths.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Contact Troy Myers at @tmyers@alligator.org or follow him on Twitter @Troy_Myers1.
Troy is the criminal justice reporter and a fourth-year journalism major with an outside focus in business administration. He previously studied accounting for two years at Santa Fe College but has since transferred to UFCJC. When Troy isn’t writing, he enjoys going to the beach and spending time with his dog, identical twin brother and family.
