FLORIDA RANKS FIFTH: After Mississippi, New Mexico, South Carolina and Louisiana. STOCK PHOTO

By David L Snelling

Miami – Despite stiff penalties to crack down on hit-and-run fatalities involving pedestrians, Florida ranks fourth in the nation with one of the highest death rates in four years.

According to a study, Florida is among the top five states in the U.S. with a high risk of cars and pedestrians collisions including hit and-runs, resulting in 787 deaths from 2000-2024.

Mississippi leads the nation with 982 deaths, followed by New Mexico, South Carolina and Louisiana.

The top five states are considered less pedestrian friendly in contrast with states such as Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and New York.

Between 2000 and 2003, Florida reported 10,013 pedestrian-car collisions including in areas marked and unmarked crosswalks for traffic signals to permit crossing.

According to Flanagan and Bodenheimer, a local injury and wrongful death law firm, in 2022 and 2023, Miami-Dade County experienced 1,815 pedestrian injuries and 95 deaths including hit-and-run.

After hit and-run-victims’ family members shared their experiences, state lawmakers enhanced several laws to curb fatalities and acute injuries.

Drivers now face a five-year mandatory minimum sentence and five years of probation, which is a third-degree felony for a hitand-run conviction, and face fines up to $10,000.

The penalties increase for DUI hit-and-run including a permanent ban from driving.

For property damage, drivers face a second-degree misdemeanor which is 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

Authorities said drivers flee the scene of hit-and-run collisions involving pedestrians for several reasons including avoiding charges and lawsuits. Some are wanted by law enforcement on previous charges. Others are illegal immigrants who fear deportation, and stolen vehicle drivers. About 8 percent of hit-and-runs is attributed to alcohol use.

The number of offenses in the tri-county area is raising alarm and awareness regarding pedestrian safety. Over the weekend, 78-year-old Janet Bowen was found on the side of a road in Miami-Dade County. The sheriff’s office is trying to determine whether she was struck by a driver who left her with a life-threatening brain injury.

Also this month, Kortitza Ortiz, 76, was killed in a hit-and-run while trying to cross the street in Liberty City. Miami police tracked down and arrested the driver, Rodrick Davis, Jr., for leaving the scene of an accident involving a death. Davis told police he thought he hit a pile of trash and kept driving.

In March 2025, a woman was struck and killed by a driver along the 2700 block West Atlantic Boulevard in Pompano Beach. Witnesses told police the driver stopped, climbed out of his vehicle but got back in and drove off. He has not been caught.

In 2023, Mercedes Lopez, 71, was killed by a driver who allegedly stole her own car and ran her over in Miami. The driver is still at large. That same year, a pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run collision at Biscayne Boulevard and 22nd Street.

In 2024, Broward County experienced 1,112 pedestrian-car crashes including hitand-run, resulting in 62 pedestrian deaths. In Palm Beach County, 35 pedestrians were killed by hit-and-run drivers last year.

Law enforcement authorities statewide are increasing awareness and education about pedestrian safety, enforcing traffic law to protect pedestrians, using new technology to track down drivers involved in hit-andruns, and collaborating with community organizations to promote safety and education.