Troopers look for driver of burgundy vehicle that hit, killed pedestrian
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Florida Highway Patrol said 26-year-old Hung Dong was walking toward Prospect Road when a driver hit him and kept going. His body was thrown into a ditch near 33rd Street East, along Whitfield Avenue.
As Pastor Nate Weaver pulled in to Crosspointe Church Saturday morning, flashing lights along Whitfield Ave. caught his attention.
"It's just super sad and you think about the family and anybody who was a part of it," he said.
Troopers are especially interested in one person: the driver.
"There is no question that the person who is operating this motor vehicle certainly knows that they struck somebody," said Trooper Ken Watson.
FHP said troopers are looking for a maroon or burgundy vehicle. They believe it could be a full-sized Ford F-150 or F-250, or an SUV, in the model years 1997 to 2003.
"We want the person that committed this to step forward and do the right thing," said Watson.
Pastor Weaver and other neighbors wonder if the crash could have been prevented.
"It's a beautiful area right here, but you can’t walk down the road," he said.
The sidewalk along Whitfield Avenue starts at the property line of Crosspointe Church and for anyone else trying to walk down Whitfield, they have to walk in a grassy area that slopes down into a ditch.
"My wife did have to jump into the ditch one time, the ditch is pretty deep. She was walking. Cars, they fly by," said Pastor Weaver.
Tim Brass also knows the danger.
"I walk there periodically because my shop is around the corner. If you are on the edge of that asphalt, it drops 6 to 12 inches straight down," he said.
Anyone with information about the crash, or the driver who may have hit Dong, is asked to contact the Florida Highway Patrol at 239-938-1800 or dial *FHP.