An 82-year-old Miami-Dade woman turned herself in to deputies Tuesday after investigators tied her to a January hit-and-run that left a 7-year-old boy badly hurt in the Westchester neighborhood. The child, who was on an electric scooter under his mother’s supervision, was hit while trying to cross the street, then rushed to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital with a serious head injury and multiple broken bones, according to investigators. Deputies say the driver took off and was later linked to a car that matched debris found at the scene.
How deputies say it happened
The crash happened around noon on Jan. 10 near the 8200 block of Southwest 32nd Street, investigators said. Surveillance footage captured a silver Toyota Camry with front-end damage heading west and leaving the area, and deputies later picked up plastic bumper pieces at the crash site that matched that model, according to WPLG Local 10. Detectives said those parts helped them zero in on a damaged vehicle, and cellphone location data then placed the registered owner at the scene around the time of impact.
Child's injuries and the evidence investigators cited
Medical records show the 7-year-old suffered an acute head injury, a brain lesion and a broken femur and was treated at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, according to Spot On Florida, which quoted from the Local 10 report. Deputies said they recovered several pieces of bumper plastic that were later identified as components from a 2009 to 2011 Toyota Camry, and that combination of physical evidence and surveillance video formed the backbone of their case.
Arrest, charges and jail status
Authorities identified the driver as 82-year-old Karina Pubchara Martinez and said she voluntarily surrendered to the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, then invoked her right to remain silent. Jail records list a single count of leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury, and show she was being held Tuesday on a $7,500 bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, according to WPLG Local 10. Miami-Dade County lists Turner Guilford Knight at 7000 NW 41st Street on its corrections contact page, per Miami-Dade Corrections.
What the law says
Florida law makes it a second-degree felony to leave the scene of a crash that causes serious bodily injury. The statute allows for prison time, restitution and at least a three-year revocation of the driver’s license, and it also defines what qualifies as serious bodily injury and sets out sentencing rules. The full language appears in Florida Statute 316.027.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office says the investigation is still active and prosecutors will review the evidence as it develops, according to Spot On Florida.
