A late-night crash on a rural stretch just outside Florida City left a motorcyclist with serious injuries and a 19-year-old facing a felony hit-and-run charge, according to Florida Highway Patrol troopers.
The collision happened just before 9 p.m. Friday in the area of Southwest 192nd Avenue and 349th Street. Medics took the injured rider to Jackson South Medical Center. Investigators say the driver involved took off, then later flagged down a Miami-Dade detective and admitted he had been in the crash. Troopers took him into custody early Saturday on a charge of leaving the scene of a crash causing serious bodily injury.
Florida City police had issued a be-on-the-lookout for a Chevrolet Malibu shortly after the wreck. As reported by Local 10, a Miami-Dade detective later spotted a Malibu “traveling on a rim” and found it pulled over on Southwest 195th Avenue near 340th Street. Troopers told the station they inspected the sedan and found front right-side damage and what “appeared to be evidence of blood and tissue, which was consistent with a car collision.”
What The Felony Charge Can Mean
Leaving the scene when someone is badly hurt is not just bad form in Florida, it is a serious crime. Under state law, a driver who willfully fails to stay put and fulfill their legal duties after a crash that causes serious bodily injury commits a second-degree felony. According to the Florida Senate, that offense can bring prison time, fines, administrative penalties and a minimum three-year driver license revocation.
What Troopers Say The Teen Admitted
The Florida Highway Patrol arrest report, cited by Local 10, identifies the suspect as 19-year-old Rodrigo Rivas. Investigators say Rivas flagged down the Miami-Dade detective and “confessed that he was involved in a car crash,” telling officers he “thought he hit someone and did not know what to do.”
Troopers also noted in the report that there was no indication of drug or alcohol use. Additional details on the motorcyclist’s condition were not immediately available, and Rivas did not appear in Miami-Dade jail records later that Monday afternoon.
Troopers say the investigation is still active and more charges could be possible, depending on medical reports and follow-up work. Authorities are asking anyone with information about the crash to contact law enforcement. No further details on the rider’s injuries were immediately released.
