A young girl, 5-year-old Aiyanna McCoy, tragically lost her life in a hit-and-run collision on Saturday, November 11, 2023 in Orlando. The accident occurred while she was traveling with her aunt and siblings in an Uber, something none of us would ever want to experience. The family was struck by a silver Mercedes on North Orange Blossom Trail, near Ace Road.
Aiyanna, has been described as a lively and spirited kindergartner with a passion for dance, singing, and gymnastics, and she leaves this world far too soon. The family, enduring the agony of her untimely departure, is in need of our community's support, and we all want justice for her and her family.
On that point, the driver of the Mercedes that struck the Uber vehicle fled the scene immediately following the crash and was later picked up by an unidentified vehicle. Thereafter, the driver disappeared. Aiyanna died soon after her arrival at the hospital. Her aunt sustained severe injuries and her sisters, aged four and nine, were also injured. The Uber driver remained unharmed.
Now, police are urging anyone with information about the accident to come forward and do the right thing. The hope is that someone has information that will help police track down the hit-and-run driver.
Hit and Run Statistics in Florida
Over the past five years (2018 to 2022 at the time of writing this article) there has been an alarming number of hit-and-run crashes. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there were 515,957 hit-and-run incidents from 2018 to 2022, which resulted in 1,251 deaths. This puts the average number of hit-and-runs at roughly 100,000 per year resulting in an average of around 250 deaths per year.
How Do We Combat Hit and Runs and Make a Difference?
So, what can we do to make this better? How do we combat this alarming trend? Well, we've handled cases where good samaritans followed hit-and-run drivers and gathered their information. We've also handled cases where our clients followed the fleeing driver. Additionally, we've used video footage from intersections and nearby businesses to track down hit-and-run drivers.
Ultimately, we need someone else to see the accident or a camera. Without eyes on the car, drivers can flee the scene of an accident and successfully evade the consequences of their actions.
