A woman driving north on US-41 in Punta Gorda says she was slammed head-on by another vehicle outside a store on the 1100 block, and the driver who hit her allegedly took off — only to be tracked down later swimming in a canal. Police arrested Cedric Mullins after he was found in the water, and he now faces a charge of leaving the scene of a crash with injuries.
A Chaotic Scene on US-41
Punta Gorda Police Department officers responded to the 1100 block of US-41 on a report of a crash with injuries, according to Gulf Coast News and Weather. Officers determined that two vehicles were involved and that a white Dodge Ram truck had fled the scene. The victim told officers she was traveling north on US-41 when she was hit head-on by a vehicle, and she was transported to a hospital. Witnesses told officers the Dodge had left in the direction of US-41 South.
Officers soon found a white Dodge Ram matching that description disabled on the side of the road near US-41 South and Singapore Road, with damage consistent with a crash, the outlet reports. A passenger who had been riding in the Dodge told officers that she and the driver — identified as her husband — were involved in the crash, and that he drove away because he was scared. The passenger was also injured and was transported to a hospital.
Driver Found Swimming in a Canal
With the truck abandoned, Punta Gorda officers and Charlotte County Sheriff's Office deputies set out to find the driver and located him swimming in a canal. He was identified as Cedric Mullins, who was arrested after being pulled from the water. Mullins now faces a charge of leaving the scene of a crash with injuries, per the report.
Florida law spells out exactly what drivers are supposed to do in this situation. According to Florida Senate statutes, when a crash results in serious bodily injury, the driver must immediately stop at the scene, or as close to it as possible, and remain there until fulfilling further legal requirements. It is not established whether the injuries from this crash met that serious-bodily-injury threshold.
