An 82-year-old woman from Florida struck a 7-year-old boy on a scooter last month and left the scene, resulting in the child being critically injured.
Karina Pubchara-Martinez explained to WTVJ that the boy collided with her vehicle on January 10 because he did not stop when he should have.
“I was driving through, and they didn’t stop where they were supposed to, leading to the collision,” she stated. “But I made the mistake of leaving, which made things worse.”
The boy’s mother witnessed the incident while outside with her son.
“If I hadn’t been outside, I might have come upon a far worse situation,” the mother expressed. “I can’t comprehend how anyone could hit a child and then drive away.”
The injured boy was rushed to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, where he received treatment for severe injuries, including a head injury, a brain lesion, and a fractured femur.
“He has a long road ahead of him,” his mother said. “He can’t do the normal things he does for I don’t know how long, and the most important is the head. He needs to have an MRI and continually monitor his head.”
Officers who responded to the scene found parts of Pubchara-Martinez’s car, including the front bumper, in the road, but they didn’t find the car until January 22, with it’s front end damage still not repaired, Law&Crime said.
Investigators placed her at the scene using cell phone data and charged her with leaving the scene of an accident with serious injury. She turned herself in on Monday and appeared in court the next day.
“I pray for him … and I’m sorry for what happened,” Pubchara-Martinez told WTVJ.
She was released on a $7,500 bond and ordered not to drive.
