A pedestrian walking along the edge of 10th Avenue North in Lake Worth Beach was struck and killed late Saturday night by a driver who never stopped, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. The impact threw the man into an aluminum fence and onto the sidewalk, and he was pronounced dead just minutes later. Deputies are now searching for a black 2003 to 2007 Honda Accord and the driver behind the wheel.
The crash happened just before 11 p.m. Saturday in the 2400 block of 10th Avenue North, according to WPEC, which reported that the driver of the Accord had pulled out to pass a slower car before cutting back into the outside lane and striking a man walking along the edge of the road. Rather than pulling over, the driver kept heading eastbound and left the man lying on the sidewalk. Traffic homicide investigators later pinpointed the location more precisely, in the 2405 block of 10th Avenue North, telling BocaNewsNow.com that the Accord side-swiped the victim as he walked near the roadway's fog line, throwing him onto the south sidewalk.
Authorities have not yet released the pedestrian's name. Under Florida Statute § 316.130, pedestrians are required to walk on sidewalks when they're provided, or along the left shoulder facing traffic where they aren't — while drivers carry a separate statutory duty to exercise due care to avoid hitting anyone on the roadway, a distinction Hoodline has previously outlined in coverage of a separate Palm Beach County crash.
What Investigators Are Looking For
Investigators believe the Accord will likely show damage on the passenger side, possibly including the front quarter panel, wheel well, side mirror, and passenger window. Deputies with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office are asking anyone with information to come forward, and tipsters can report anonymously through Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County at 1-800-458-TIPS, or via the PBSO smartphone app's See Something feature, where qualifying tips can earn a cash reward, per the same account from BocaNewsNow.com.
It isn't the first time this stretch of road has turned deadly. 10th Avenue North has a documented history of fatal pedestrian crashes, including a January 2025 incident at the intersection with Boutwell Road where a pedestrian was struck and killed, according to The Boca Raton Tribune. The corridor also sits near an active infrastructure project: the Florida Department of Transportation began a $2.5 million LED lighting retrofit this month covering the nearby I-95 corridor between 12th Avenue South and 10th Avenue North, aimed at improving nighttime visibility for drivers.
A Felony Regardless of Fault
If the driver is identified and charged, Florida law treats leaving the scene of a fatal crash as a serious felony independent of who caused the initial collision. Under Florida Statute § 316.027(2)(c), leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death is a first-degree felony carrying up to 30 years in prison, a $10,000 fine, a mandatory minimum four-year sentence, and at least a three-year license revocation.
Palm Beach County prosecutors have recently shown a willingness to pursue the maximum consequences under that statute. In July, a jury convicted a driver of leaving the scene of a fatal pedestrian crash in Lantana, resulting in a 10-year prison sentence even though investigators determined the driver had not caused the initial crash, as Hoodline reported last month.
A County-Wide Pattern
The Lake Worth Beach case adds to a troubling countywide tally. Preliminary 2025 data from Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shows Palm Beach County recorded 6,614 hit-and-run collisions that year, resulting in 1,574 injuries and seven deaths, according to InjuryLawyers.com. Statewide, hit-and-runs made up roughly a quarter of all crashes in 2025, with more than 85,000 such incidents causing 159 fatalities across Florida, per Michles & Booth.
Total crashes in Palm Beach County actually declined 4.5 percent from 2024 to 2025, falling to 25,349, but pedestrian-involved crashes stayed elevated at 760 incidents, InjuryLawyers.com's data also shows. Whether commercial security cameras or license plate readers along 10th Avenue North captured the fleeing Accord remains an open question for investigators, as does the formal identification of the victim, which is expected once next-of-kin notification is complete.
