8:00 am Update:
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Florida troopers are searching for a driver who fled a three-vehicle crash that injured eight teenage pedestrians Friday night in Orlando.
The crash happened around 7:50 p.m. on University Boulevard near Technological Avenue in Orange County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Troopers said a 2007 Honda Fit rear-ended a 2020 Honda Civic, sending the Civic into a group of teenagers standing near the road and forcing a 2025 Honda Civic off the roadway. The Fit then struck the side of the 2025 Civic before the driver fled.
Witnesses provided a license plate number that helped troopers locate the Fit abandoned in a hotel parking lot on Technological Avenue. The vehicle was towed for evidence processing.
Seven teenagers were taken to hospitals, including Orlando Regional Medical Center, with one transported as a trauma alert. An eighth declined hospital transport.
The injured included four 15-year-olds, two 16-year-olds, a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old. The drivers of both Civics — a 21-year-old Bradenton man and an 18-year-old Palm Bay woman — were uninjured and remained at the scene.
The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the crash or the Fit’s driver is asked to call FHP at *347 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.
Original story
Eight people injured after vehicle strikes seven high school students
Orange County Fire Rescue crews responded to a scene involving seven high school-age students suspected of being struck by a vehicle.
Officials said one patient was transported to ORMC as a trauma alert, while two others were also taken to ORMC.
OCFRD said four additional patients were transported to local hospitals. One other person refused transport, bringing the total number of patients to eight.
FHP and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the scene.
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