Fleeing from a crash could lead to serious consequences vs staying on scene

It’s against the law to drink and drive.

It’s even worse to drink and drive, hit and kill someone, and then flee.

The reality is if you don’t stay on the scene, the penalty could be more severe than if you are involved in a fatal DUI crash.

It’s rare when there’s a day in Southwest Florida without a fatal crash.

Many have died on highways, roads and boulevards.

What makes their deaths worse is when another driver involved in a deadly crash drives away.

“Be accountable for your actions,” said Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Greg Bueno. “Should you leave, you’ve now walked into what is our pet peeve. And naturally, we will do everything in our power to, and all the tools that we have at our disposal to locate you, and hold you accountable.”

Florida Highway Patrol said 27 percent of all crashes in Florida in 2021 were hit-and-runs.

Defense attorney Lance Dunford said vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter are second-degree felonies.

A fatal hit-and-run is worse.

“Defendants sometimes talk about what happens if they throw the book at me?” Dunford said. “Well, the throwing the book on leaving the scene of an accident with a death is 30 years in prison. The throwing the book of leaving of a DUI with the death is 15 … you’re exposing yourself to potentially serving a lot more time.”

Even if you think the crash is your fault, it may not be.

“That’s the purpose of doing investigations. That’s the purpose of staying on the scene,” Bueno said. “You did something that’s wrong, but it didn’t rise to the threshold of being a criminal act.”

In 2021, there were 16 fatal hit-and-runs in Southwest Florida.

At least two, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, are still unsolved.

Cape Coral and Fort Myers police also investigated some of those cases. They did not return a request for comment on how many remains unsolved in their jurisdictions.

Here is the Florida Highway Patrol’s active fatal hit and run cases for our area. It’s important to note these are not the only unsolved cases. They are just the more recent ones where all other leads have been exhausted.