POLK COUNTY, FL : Driver arrested for hit and run involving 11-year-old girl on Saturday, September 2, 2017

A driver was arrested Friday night after deputies said he hit an 11-year-old girl with his vehicle and took off. William Hull, 33, is charged with leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury and tampering with evidence.

Around 12 p.m. on Sept. 1st, deputies said Trinity Hamilton, 11, was walking westbound on the north side grass shoulder of Idlewild Street, after being dropped off by the bus, and was hit by a white pickup truck.

Hamilton fell into a ditch and suffered serious injuries, deputies said. Hamilton suffered a fractured jaw and a dislocated pelvis during the crash. She was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa and is expected to fully recover, officials said.

A witnesses said the truck never stopped or slowed down to render aid to the victim.

Laura Francisco's home surveillance video camera was able to catch video of the truck coming down the road moments after deputies said the driver hit the girl.

"At first I thought it might have been one of my children so I was really concerned," Francisco said.

A citizens’ tip helped lead deputies to Hull who they said admitted to hitting something but not stopping to see what it was. It was a move that’s shocking to neighbors like Laura Francisco.

"He must not have much of a conscience. Just think, if it would've been one of theirs, if one of their children would've gotten hit," she said.

Deputies also said Hull attempted to conceal the vehicle and damage within a fenced back yard of his mother's home. A neighbor reported that the suspect always backs the truck into the fenced yard and on Sept. 1 he did not. Officials believed that it was an attempt to conceal the vehicle and damage from witnesses and law enforcement.

Hull went before a judge Saturday morning. He's being held on a $5,000 bond for leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury and a $1,000 bond for tampering with evidence.

Source :
Driver arrested for hit and run involving 11-year-old girl