Cops Accuse Miami Lawyer of Fleeing Scene of Fatal Crash

March 28, 2018

A personal injury lawyer from Hialeah was arrested Tuesday and charged with killing a woman at a Miami Lakes crosswalk last year with his Mercedes-Benz and driving away while impaired.

The 65-year-old-owner of a law firm in Miami Lakes was charged with DUI manslaughter/failure to render aid, vehicular homicide/failure to stop, leaving the scene of a crash involving a death and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the Dec. 7, 2017 death of the 26-year-old woman.

Investigators allege that the woman was using the Fairway Drive crosswalk around 2:30 a.m. when a car hit her, launching her into the air to land on a curb on the west side of Fairway Drive. Police believe that car was the man’s silver C-Class Benz and he was the driver.

He remained in Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center Wednesday morning, with bond set at $150,000.

A civil lawsuit was filed Tuesday on behalf of the woman’s parents that says the woman was found face down near a gutter at the intersection of Miami Lakes Drive and Fairway Drive, and that the man was driving recklessly and should have yielded at the crosswalk. The suit, filed in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court, asks for more than $15,000 to compensate the woman’s parents for their grief and to pay off medical and funeral costs.

It is important to point out that leaving the scene of an accident is not just a traffic ticket. It is a criminal offense. If the accident involves injuries to others, whether it be the other driver, a passenger, or a pedestrian, this would be considered a felony hit-and-run in Florida. It is a felony in every state when someone leaves the scene of an accident that results in the death of a person.

Our South Florida Criminal Defense Lawyers at Whittel & Melton would like to point out that there are very few scenarios where you are free to leave the scene of an accident without suffering any consequences.If you were behind the wheel and caused a fatal accident and want to flee the scene, we urge you to think twice. If you do leave the scene, police will likely issue a warrant out for your arrest, and it is very likely that they will immediately proceed to locate you.