A man was left with life-threatening injuries Friday night after a driver struck him near Southwest First Terrace and Third Court in Deerfield Beach and then drove away without stopping to help, according to investigators. Broward Sheriff's Office dispatchers received the hit-and-run report, and deputies along with Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue crews rushed to the scene.
Responding crews found a man with injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle, as reported by WPLG Local 10. Paramedics transported him to a local hospital with what authorities described as life-threatening injuries. No details about the man's age or identity had been released as of the outlet's report.
The driver of the vehicle fled the scene without rendering aid, leaving investigators with a case that now hinges on evidence gathered after the fact. Detectives with the Broward Sheriff's Office Traffic Homicide Unit are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash. That unit is typically called in for crashes involving severe or fatal injuries, handling forensic evidence collection, crash reconstruction, and witness follow-up, according to Barzakay Law Firm.
What Comes Next for Investigators — and the Driver, If Found
Deputies have not released a description of the suspect vehicle or driver, and it remains unclear whether nearby surveillance cameras or witnesses captured the crash. Anyone with information is urged to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477. Tips that lead to a felony arrest can earn an anonymous cash reward of up to $3,000, per program details posted on the City of Wilton Manors website.
If the driver is eventually identified and arrested, the injuries described in this case could carry serious legal weight. Because the victim suffered life-threatening harm, Florida Statute § 316.027 classifies leaving the scene of a crash resulting in serious bodily injury as a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, 15 years of probation, and a $10,000 fine, according to a legal overview from The Law Place. State law defines serious bodily injury as any condition creating a substantial risk of death, serious disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of a bodily function, according to guidance from DUI Attorneys in Tampa.
A Familiar and Troubling Pattern Across Broward County
This case adds to a run of hit-and-run crashes that have kept the Traffic Homicide Unit busy across Broward County this year. Just weeks ago, Hoodline reported that a driver bolted after a deadly hit-and-run on Fort Lauderdale's 17th Street Bridge, and in March a deadly dawn hit-and-run stunned the West Park area near Hallandale Beach. In Dania Beach this month, Broward Sheriff's Office deputies arrested a 70-year-old driver after surveillance footage showed his van striking a double-amputee in a wheelchair before he fled, according to Flanagan & Bodenheimer.
The scale of the problem is significant statewide. Florida recorded 97,994 hit-and-run crashes in 2024, resulting in 243 fatalities and 20,462 injuries, according to state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles data cited by law firm Michles & Booth. Preliminary state figures for 2025 show hit-and-runs accounted for roughly a quarter of all motor vehicle crashes in Florida, totaling 85,459 reported incidents. More than 80% of hit-and-run fatalities in the state occur during nighttime, dawn, or dusk hours when visibility is lowest, per an analysis by personal injury firm Lorenzo & Lorenzo.
Broward County has seen its share of severe hit-and-run prosecutions in recent memory. Hoodline previously reported that a judge sentenced a driver to 73 years for a Wilton Manors crash that killed three children and injured three others in 2021, illustrating just how severe judicial penalties can be in the county's most serious hit-and-run cases. For now, the Deerfield Beach victim's condition, the driver's identity, and the vehicle involved remain unknown, and detectives are relying on the public to help fill in those gaps.
