A pedestrian was hospitalized as a trauma alert early Monday morning after a hit-and-run crash near SE Maricamp Road and SE 58th Avenue in Marion County, and the driver who hit them has not been found. Someone called 911 to report that a person had been struck by a vehicle and was lying in the road, according to officials. Rescuers rushed to the scene, but whoever was behind the wheel was already gone.
Marion County Fire Rescue said crews were called to the crash at 1:12 a.m., according to wftv.com, which reported the pedestrian was injured in the hit-and-run according to the Florida Highway Patrol. As of the outlet's latest update, the crash remained active, though no road blockage was reported. The pedestrian was transported as a trauma alert to a hospital, according to FOX 35 Orlando, which reported that officials had not identified the victim.
A Stretch of Road With a Troubled History
Monday's crash is not the first hit-and-run to strike a pedestrian along Maricamp Road. In July, FHP investigated a fatal hit-and-run on Maricamp Road just east of Bahia Road, where investigators believe an unknown westbound vehicle struck a pedestrian and fled, according to 352today.com. And in May 2024, a van struck and killed a 49-year-old Ocala woman around 5:45 a.m. near Maricamp and Water roads in Silver Springs Shores, per a report from wcjb.com.
The pattern extends beyond any single road. Two men were killed in separate pedestrian crashes overnight in Marion County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, as reported by wcjb.com. In one of those cases, a 76-year-old man walking eastbound toward oncoming traffic was struck by a driver from Reddick and died at the hospital. Roughly two hours later, an unidentified man ran into traffic on I-75 near U.S. 27 and was struck by a tractor-trailer, the outlet reported.
Marion County's Pedestrian Death Toll Climbing
The numbers behind these crashes paint a grim picture for the county. Twenty-one pedestrians were killed in crashes on Marion County roadways in 2024, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, as reported by ocalagazette.com. Six pedestrians and two bicyclists were killed in collisions within Ocala city limits that same year, the outlet noted. By comparison, Volusia County recorded 18 pedestrian fatalities and Lake County recorded eight pedestrian traffic deaths in 2024.
More recent figures show the toll has continued to mount. Marion County recorded 109 pedestrian crashes and 16 pedestrian fatalities through October 30, 2025, according to ocala-news.com, which also reported at least four hit-and-run fatalities in the county. Among Florida counties with at least 100,000 residents, the outlet reported that Marion's pedestrian fatality rate ranks second statewide, trailing only Hernando County.
Federal Money Targets Maricamp Road Safety
Officials have already taken steps to address the danger along this specific corridor. Marion County was awarded $19,020,640 through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All program to enhance safety on Maricamp Road, ocalagazette.com reported. The funded corridor runs from near SE 53rd Court, west of SE 58th Avenue, to just east of SE 108th Terrace Road, placing the crash location near SE 58th Avenue within the project corridor.
What Florida Law Requires of Drivers
Under Florida law, a driver involved in a crash that causes injury must immediately stop at the scene and remain there until information and assistance requirements are met, according to the Florida Legislature. Willfully leaving the scene of a crash that causes non-serious injury is a third-degree felony, while fleeing a crash that causes serious bodily injury is a second-degree felony. A driver convicted under those provisions also faces a license revocation of at least three years.
No arrest or citation information has been released in connection with Monday's crash, and the identity of the driver who fled the scene remains unknown. Investigators have not said whether the pedestrian's condition has changed since being taken to the hospital as a trauma alert.
