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Hit-and-run driver kills good Samaritan
Jennifer Kveglis reports
LAKE WALES, Fla. - A good Samaritan was killed after he was struck by a vehicle while trying to help to people involved in a previous crash in Lake Wales Monday morning, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd shared the details of two separate crashes in the same location that left two teenagers injured, a 34-year-old man dead and a suspect or suspects on the run after fleeing the scene.
PCSO received a 911 call at around 6:11 a.m. on Monday for a two-vehicle crash on State Road 60 at County Road 630 E.
According to Sheriff Judd, a 15-year-old male was driving his 12-year-old sister to school in a Chevrolet SUV. The SUV turned in front of a red Dodge pickup truck, which was driven by a 50-year-old man, and the two vehicles collided.
Photo courtesy: Polk County Sheriff's Office
Following the crash, a 34-year-old man from Melbourne, identified by family as Brandon Sanders, saw the crash and stopped to help. According to Sheriff Judd, while the man was out of his vehicle helping, a 2012 Honda van struck the red pickup truck, knocking it into the 34-year-old and killing him.
Sheriff Judd said the driver of the Honda van left the vehicle at the scene and fled.
Pictured: Brandon Sanders
Sanders' family told FOX 13 that he was on his way to work from Melbourne when the crashes happened. They said they got concerned when he never showed up.
Sanders was nicknamed "Flash" after hiking the Appalachian Trail, according to family. His mom said he always had a smile on his face and gave the best "bear hugs."
The 12-year-old injured in the separate crash is in critical condition after suffering "significant injuries," according to Sheriff Judd. The 15-year-old sustained minor injuries, as well.
He encouraged anyone with information about the owner of the Honda van to call CrimeStoppers, where a $5,000 reward is being offered. He added, though, that the Honda van is a scrapped vehicle out of Arizona.
Sheriff Judd said PCSO has had their bloodhounds, aviation crews, and deputies searching the woods that the driver or drivers fled into.
"We want them in jail, and the community can help us with that," Sheriff Judd said during a press conference on Monday. "These guys are wandering through the swamps and the woods out there, and they're going to come out into one of the neighborhoods or one of the highways, and they're going to try to get a ride from someone."