An 82-year-old Florida woman hit a 7-year-old boy playing on his scooter last month and then drove away, leaving the child in critical condition.
Karina Pubchara-Martinez told WTVJ the boy failed to stop and hit her on January 10.
“I was passing through and they didn’t stop when they’re supposed to stop and they hit me,” she said. “But I left, so I’m worse.”
The boy’s mother was outside with her son when the incident happened.
“Had I not been outside, I probably would’ve found him dead or something,” the mother said. “I don’t understand how someone can hit a child and not stop.”
The boy was taken to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, where he was treated for serious injuries, including a head injury, a brain lesion, and a broken 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.
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[Featured image: Karina Pubchara-Martinez/Miami-Dade Corrections]
