Hit-and-run on Delta St in Fort Myers kills mom, injures 2 kids

Reporter: Michael Hudak Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:

A 24-year-old woman was killed and two children seriously injured in a hit-and-run crash on Delta Street, just south of Page Field, on March 31, and whoever did it is still on the run.

Dina Cartagena was a mother, sister, and friend, but Ronald, her brother, told WINK News there’s a hole in his life.

“I feel dizzy, sad; I feel a big emptiness in my heart,” Ronald said.

Dina was crushed by a white van last Friday night in Fort Myers while holding her 4-year-old daughter and her friend’s year-old baby.

Astonishingly, the hit-and-run crash happened in her own driveway.

“She was pinned under the van. With the baby,” Tony, the man who called 911 said.

Tony is Dina’s neighbor and witnessed the whole thing happen.

“We tried to get the baby from her, but she screamed, ‘No!’ We noticed she was bleeding and when the van backed up, we noticed her leg was gone,” Tony said.

Friday night proved to be the beginning of a nightmare for Karla Hernandez, Dina’s sister-in-law.

“A group of guys came to eat here,” Hernandez said.

She told WINK News that a group of family and friends and neighbors were enjoying the night in the driveway. They were simply listening to music and selling food.

But that’s when, according to the family, a white van pulled up and parked near the driveway. The family noticed the van was blocking part of the road. So, Hernandez said they asked him to move.

“He said yes, but then he went in his work van and sped it up and hit her against the wall,” Hernandez said.

The van slammed into Hernandez, her little girl, and her friend’s toddler, pinning them against the wall of the house and leaving a mark that’s still visible.

The two children survived, but unfortunately, the mother didn’t.

“The children, suddenly we will find them crying when they see photos of her,” Hernandez said.

The two children are back home resting and recovering after the ordeal. But, the driver ran away.

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