Inset: Karina Pubchara-Martinez (WTVJ). Background: The Miami intersection of SW 32nd Street and SW 82nd Avenue, where Pubchara-Martinez is accused of striking a 7-year-old boy who was riding a scooter (Google Maps).
An 82-year-old Florida woman accused of hitting a 7-year-old boy on an electric scooter and leaving him injured on the roadside will not serve jail time after pleading guilty in the case.
Court records show Karina Pubchara-Martinez admitted to leaving the scene of a crash involving serious injury and received a sentence of five months’ probation.
The crash happened around noon on Jan. 10, 2026, at SW 32nd Street and SW 82nd Avenue in Miami, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit. The boy was riding a scooter while his mother followed behind him, and he was attempting to cross 32nd Street when he was struck by a Toyota Camry owned by Pubchara-Martinez. She later acknowledged she was the driver who hit the child and drove away, authorities said.
Investigators said Pubchara-Martinez did not stop after the impact and continued driving. Responding officers found the boy on the side of the road “unable to move,” with an “acute head injury,” a broken femur, and additional scrapes and bruises. Paramedics transported him to a hospital for treatment.
Authorities eventually tracked down the suspect vehicle nearly two weeks later, on Jan. 22, roughly 3 miles from where the crash occurred. The Camry still showed front-end damage that matched the collision, police wrote in the affidavit.
Police also used cellphone location data to place Pubchara-Martinez at the crash scene. She later surrendered to authorities and was released after posting a $7,500 bond.
Although she declined to give a statement to investigators, Pubchara-Martinez spoke at length with local NBC affiliate WTVJ. In that interview, she appeared to fault the child, saying he suddenly came out in front of her as she was driving home after visiting her son.
“I was passing the jail when they hit me,” she told the station. “I got afraid because my glasses weren’t on my face and I ran away and that’s very bad,” she added, seemingly admitting to leaving the scene.
“I was passing through and they didn’t stop when they’re supposed to stop and they hit me,” she also said. “But I left, so I’m worse.”
Pubchara-Martinez went on to say that she was “sorry for what happened” and was praying for the well-being of the boy she hit.
Meanwhile, the boy’s mother said in an interview with WTVJ shortly after the incident that she doesn’t understand why someone could hit a child and not stop.
“Had I not been outside, I probably would’ve found him dead or something,” the mother said.
The boy has already had numerous surgeries.
“He has a long road ahead of him,” she said.
The post 82-year-old driver who nailed 7-year-old on electric scooter, blames him for ‘not stopping where they’re supposed to’ avoids jail first appeared on Law & Crime.
