Tourist from Wisconsin killed in hit-and-run crash

ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 Orlando) - Troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol are searching for the driver who hit and killed a tourist visiting from Wisconsin.

Relatives of 70-year-old Robert Henschel say he was in Florida, escaping the cold weather.   As he drove on State Road  528, near State Road 520, investigators say he ran out of gas and got out of the car.  That's when a driver hit and killed him, then took off, troopers say.

"As I went past the car, I could see there's a gentleman on the ground," explains Jennifer Lycans, who was was heading home from work late Saturday night, when she spotted Henschel.

She says he was surrounded by several people who couldn't believe what had happened.

"Said they didn't slow down. Didn't try to stop. They just kept driving, and it happened so fast," Lycans says.

Troopers say the suspect's car was a maroon Ford Mustang.

"It's outrageous! It's sad that really happened," says Lycans. "Everyone was running around getting towels from cars."

She says one couple called 911, while a former paramedic who now works for Disney tried saving him.

"She got his airway open, so he was able to talk and move around.  He said he was on his way to Key Largo."

Henschel's daughter-in-law in Wisconsin says he was a giving person, who would help anyone in need. They are devastated by his death.

Lycans says she wants the family to know that he was surrounded by strangers doing their best to comfort him.

"He knew that there were people there. He knew that people cared about him, and he wasn't by himself," she adds.

Anyone with information about that maroon Ford Mustang is asked to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477). Investigators say they are looking for video at toll plazas.