Search continues for vehicle that killed two in Clearwater

CLEARWATER (FOX 13) - Police identified two tourists hit and killed Sunday night by the driver of a silver Mercedes SUV at the corner of Memorial Causeway and Island Way.

Viola Flores, 52, and John Berg, 62, both of Lake in the Hills, Illinois died at Morton Plant Hospital. They had been on vacation since Thursday.

A beach business surveillance camera captured a silver Mercedes G-Wagon SUV driving south on Coronado Drive shortly after the crash.

It appears to have extensive front end damage to its passenger side bumper, fender, headlight and hood.

"It's not your everyday Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic, so these are pretty unique cars," Clearwater police spokesperson Rob Shaw said.

Valued at an estimated $100,000, police scanned beach hotels, restaurants, parking garages and neighborhoods looking for it, but so far, no luck.

On Flores' Facebook page, she posted throughout Sunday as the two visited several restaurants and beach landmarks.

"They had just arrived in town for a vacation a few days earlier and had spent the time here at the beach," Shaw said.

Flores and Berg were staying at the Clearwater Beach Hotel about a mile walk from where they were hit and ultimately killed.

Two-and-a-half hours before the crash, Flores posted that they were waiting on a trolley back to their hotel to get ready for the night.

Investigators say, at the time of the crash (8:00 p.m.), both victims were outside of the crosswalk. The driver of the SUV had a green light and the right of way.

"But that doesn't give you the right of way to strike two pedestrians and leave them dying in the road without calling for help or stopping to see what was happening," Shaw said.

Police interviewed several witnesses after the crash, but none of them were able to recall a license tag number.

Anyone with information on the case should call Clearwater Police at 727-562-4242.