Hit-and-Run Near UCF Injures Teenagers on a University Boulevard Sidewalk: Florida Law When the Driver Flees
Orange County, Fla. · Published · By HOV Law
Eight teenagers on foot were hurt Friday night, November 6, when a three-car crash on University Boulevard near the University of Central Florida sent one car onto the sidewalk, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Troopers say the driver of one of the cars left the scene. When a driver flees and several people are hurt at once, the usual question of whose insurance pays becomes harder, and Florida law has specific answers for both problems.
What Troopers Have Reported
The crash happened just before 8 p.m. on University Boulevard near Technological Avenue, an area of restaurants and shopping centers less than a mile from campus. FHP's preliminary account, reported by WFTV (opens in a new tab) and News 6 (opens in a new tab), describes a chain of collisions involving a 2007 Honda Fit and two Honda Civics that ended with one Civic striking a group of teenagers near the road.
The injured were between 15 and 18 years old, according to troopers. Seven were taken to hospitals, including Orlando Regional Medical Center, and one was transported as a trauma alert; an eighth declined transport, FOX 35 (opens in a new tab) and WFTV reported. Early counts varied between seven and eight as information came in. The drivers of the two Civics stayed at the scene and were not hurt.
Troopers say the Fit's driver fled. Witnesses gave a license plate number that led troopers to the car, found abandoned in a hotel parking lot on Technological Avenue and towed for evidence processing, according to WFTV. As of publication, the driver had not been publicly identified or charged, and FHP was asking anyone with information to call *347 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS. The investigation is ongoing, and nothing in this post is a statement about who caused the crash.
The First Layer of Coverage Does Not Wait for an Arrest
A common worry after a hit-and-run is that nothing can happen until the driver is found. For medical bills, that is usually not true. Under § 627.736(4)(e) (opens in a new tab), the owner's insurer pays personal injury protection benefits for the owner and for relatives living in the same household who are hurt while not an occupant of a self-propelled vehicle, if the injury is caused by physical contact with a motor vehicle. For a high school student, that generally means a parent's auto policy, even though the family car was nowhere near the crash.
Florida residents with no household policy can look to the insurer of the vehicle that struck them, under the same subsection. Either way, PIP medical benefits depend on initial care within 14 days, under § 627.736(1)(a), and an emergency room visit the night of the crash counts. The 14-day deadline checker counts the days, and the Florida no-fault PIP guide explains what PIP pays and what it leaves out.
Eight Injured People and the Limits of One Policy
PIP is limited to $10,000 under § 627.736(1) and pays economic losses such as medical bills and lost income, not pain and suffering. Beyond that, a pedestrian's claim runs against whoever is legally responsible and their insurance. Two features of Florida law shape what happens next when many people are hurt in one crash:
- Bodily injury coverage is optional for most drivers. Section 324.022(1) (opens in a new tab) requires owners and operators to be able to pay $10,000 for damage to others' property. It does not require bodily injury liability coverage, so a responsible driver may have little or none.
- Policy limits are shared. When a liability policy does exist, every injured claimant draws on the same limits. With eight injured people, those limits can run out quickly.
- UM coverage fills the gap. Under § 627.727(1) (opens in a new tab), policies with bodily injury coverage must include uninsured motorist coverage unless it is rejected in writing. Subsection (3)(b) treats a vehicle as uninsured when its bodily injury limits are less than the injured person's total damages, and that is how underinsured claims work.
Because UM protects the people insured under a policy, it is worth checking every auto policy in the household, including ones on cars that were parked at home. Whether a policy covers a crash where the driver is never found depends on how that policy defines an uninsured vehicle. The comparative negligence guide explains how Florida divides responsibility when more than one driver is involved.
What Florida's Hit-and-Run Statute Requires
Section 316.027(2) (opens in a new tab) requires a driver involved in a crash that injures someone to stop and remain at the scene until meeting the duties in § 316.062 (opens in a new tab): giving their name, address and vehicle registration and rendering reasonable assistance, including arranging transport to medical care when it is needed. Willfully leaving is a third-degree felony, and a second-degree felony when someone suffers serious bodily injury.
The statute treats pedestrians as vulnerable road users, and a violation involving one is ranked one level higher for sentencing under subsection (2)(f). If there is a conviction, subsection (2)(d) directs the court to order restitution to the victim for damage or loss unless it finds clear and compelling reasons not to. Restitution in a criminal case is separate from, and usually much narrower than, a civil injury claim.
Those are the rules for any driver who leaves an injury crash. In this case, no one had been charged as of publication, and anyone later accused is presumed innocent.
When the Injured Are Teenagers
Most of the people hurt Friday were reported to be 15, 16 or 17. A minor's injury claim belongs to the minor, and parents act for them. Under § 744.301(2) (opens in a new tab), parents as natural guardians can settle a claim for their minor child without a court appointment or bond only when the amounts received in the aggregate do not exceed $15,000. Above that, Florida's guardianship procedures apply. Someone who is 18 handles their own claim as an adult, though family policies may still provide their PIP if they live in the household.
The general deadline for a negligence claim is two years under § 95.11(5)(a) (opens in a new tab). The statute of limitations calculator gives a date for a specific crash.
Steps After Being Hit by a Driver Who Leaves
- Get medical care right away and keep every record, even for injuries that seem minor that night.
- Give investigators whatever you remember: plate characters, color, damage, direction of travel. In this case, troopers say a witness's plate number led them to the car.
- Write down the names of witnesses and nearby businesses. Business surveillance video can be recorded over quickly.
- Get the crash report. The Orlando crash report finder shows where FHP and local agency reports are requested.
- Report the crash to your household auto insurer promptly for PIP and possible UM benefits, and ask for a copy of each policy's declarations page.
Our guide to what to do after a pedestrian accident in Florida covers each step in more detail, and Orlando's deadliest roads for pedestrians looks at where these crashes happen most.
Common Questions About Hit-and-Run Injuries in Florida
Who pays medical bills for a pedestrian hit in a Florida hit-and-run?
Usually the injured person's own household auto policy pays first. Under Fla. Stat. § 627.736(4)(e), the owner's insurer pays personal injury protection (PIP) benefits for the owner and for relatives living in the same household who are hurt while not in a vehicle, if the injury is caused by physical contact with a motor vehicle. For a teenager, that is typically a parent's policy. That does not depend on finding the driver who left.
Can uninsured motorist coverage help if the driver who fled is never identified?
It can. Section 627.727(1) requires uninsured motor vehicle coverage, unless rejected in writing, to protect people insured under the policy who are legally entitled to recover damages from owners or operators of uninsured motor vehicles. How a policy treats a vehicle whose driver is never found depends on its own definitions, so read the UM section of every policy in the household.
What happens when one driver's insurance is not enough for everyone who was hurt?
Florida does not require bodily injury liability coverage for most drivers. Section 324.022(1) sets a $10,000 property damage requirement. When a driver does carry bodily injury limits and they are lower than an injured person's total damages, § 627.727(3)(b) treats that vehicle as uninsured for UM purposes, which is how underinsured motorist coverage comes into play.
Is leaving the scene of an injury crash a crime in Florida?
Yes. Under § 316.027(2), a driver involved in a crash that injures someone must stop and remain at the scene until meeting the duties in § 316.062, which include giving name, address and registration and rendering reasonable assistance. Willfully leaving is a third-degree felony, or a second-degree felony if anyone suffered serious bodily injury. In the University Boulevard crash, no one had been charged as of publication.
Does Florida treat claims for injured teenagers differently?
Partly. A minor's claim belongs to the minor, and parents act on their behalf. Under § 744.301(2), parents as natural guardians can settle a minor child's claim without court appointment or bond only when the amounts received in the aggregate do not exceed $15,000. An 18-year-old handles their own claim as an adult.
How long is there to bring an injury claim after a crash like this?
For a negligence claim, two years under § 95.11(5)(a). PIP has a much shorter practical clock: medical benefits depend on receiving initial care within 14 days of the crash, under § 627.736(1)(a).
Sources
- News 6 / ClickOrlando — 8 teens hurt in hit & run crash near UCF, troopers say (opens in a new tab)
- WFTV 9 — Florida troopers hunt driver in Orlando hit-and-run (opens in a new tab)
- FOX 35 Orlando — Driver flees after hitting group of teens in Orange County hit-and-run crash near UCF: FHP (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. § 316.027 (2026) — Crash involving death or personal injuries (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. § 316.062 (2026) — Duty to give information and render aid (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. § 627.736 (2026) — Required personal injury protection benefits (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. § 627.727 (2026) — Uninsured and underinsured vehicle coverage (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. § 324.022 (2026) — Financial responsibility for property damage (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. § 744.301 (2026) — Natural guardians (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. § 95.11 (2026) — Limitations other than for real property (opens in a new tab)
This post summarizes news reports and is general information about Florida law, not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. HOV Law does not represent anyone involved in this crash, and nothing here is a statement about fault or liability.
Questions After a Hit-and-Run?
If you've been hurt in a similar incident in Central Florida, speak with a Florida personal injury lawyer about your options. Consultations are free.