Honk News (Stuart, FL) – A 69-year-old semi-truck driver in Florida faces allegations related to a hit-and-run incident. Reports indicate that he changed lanes, causing a woman and her 3-year-old child to swerve off the highway, resulting in their vehicle crashing into a nearby pond, all while he proceeded to fulfill a scheduled delivery.
Authorities announced that Alton Winters from Florida was arrested on Monday and faces a charge for leaving the scene of a crash that resulted in injuries, along with a citation for making an improper lane change.
Deputies from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a crash along Kanner Highway at approximately 9 a.m. on the morning of February 17, as stated in a news release. First responders arrived at the scene and found the victims, with their vehicle still underwater in the pond.
After an initial inquiry, officials reported that the woman was behind the wheel when she “was hit by a semi-truck that was changing lanes.” The incident allegedly caused the truck to push her off the road and into a pond.
“Witnesses reported that the impact caused the car to veer off the road and into the water,” the sheriff’s office wrote in the release. “Fortunately, the woman was able to free herself and her child from the vehicle and make it to the bank.”
Authorities successfully determined that Winters was behind the wheel of the truck. Following the incident involving the woman and her child, officials reported that Winters “paused momentarily but then proceeded to a nearby produce company” for a scheduled delivery.
Law enforcement successfully found Winters shortly after and the Stuart Police Department apprehended him. Winters reportedly informed officials that following the collision with the other vehicle, he kept driving as he “had to make a delivery.”
A woman and her child were taken to a nearby hospital for medical care. Officials reported that the injuries sustained were minor.