A City of Sanford dump truck driver has been arrested after police say the truck struck a bicyclist at a Sanford intersection Tuesday morning and left the scene. The rider was taken to a local hospital and later died from the injuries.
How The Sanford Crash Unfolded
The crash was reported around 8 a.m. at West Airport Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The bicyclist was traveling northbound and attempting to make a right turn when the dump truck, also headed north, struck the rider and continued away, according to WESH.
A witness stopped to help the injured cyclist, who was transported to a local hospital. Police later identified the driver as Shawannia Smith, a City of Sanford employee, and said the bicyclist died as a result of the injuries.
Smith was arrested on suspicion of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and cited for violating a cyclist's right of way, WESH reported. The investigation remains active as authorities work to establish the full sequence of events.
Police Ask For Witnesses And Video
Sanford police are asking anyone who saw the crash, the dump truck or what happened immediately afterward to contact the Sanford Police Department. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crimeline, which lists 800-423-TIPS (8477) for callers.
What Florida Law Requires After A Fatal Crash
Florida law requires a driver involved in a crash that kills someone to stop, remain at the scene and provide required information and assistance. Under Florida's crash statute, willfully leaving a fatal-crash scene is a first-degree felony and carries a four-year mandatory minimum sentence; those are potential legal consequences, not a finding of guilt in Smith's case.
