Man sees hit-and-run crash, follows driver, calls 911
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — A man on the Treasure Coast is recovering in the hospital after police say he was struck on his bicycle by a hit-and-run driver Saturday.
The victim is praising the actions of a motorist who followed the alleged hit-and-run driver and called 911.
The crash happened at the intersection of SW Port St. Lucie Boulevard and SW Trenton Lane.
"I tried to move out of her way. She was going pretty fast and she hit me and it felt like she started going faster," said Daniel Hodge, the victim of the hit-and-run accident. He spoke to us from his hospital bed at Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital
Hodge, 24, was riding his bike at about 2:40 Saturday afternoon heading to a Domino's Pizza where he works as an assistant manager, when police say he was hit by an SUV driven by Marcella Morris, 50, of Port St Lucie.
Instead of stopping, police say she kept on going and drove away.
"She took off, and a whole bunch of civilians walked up to me. They're like oh my God, are you okay? Like she just took off. I can't believe that. I couldn't believe someone would do that. All you had to do was stop," Hodge said.
He says his left leg was broken in 5 places and he underwent surgery for nearly seven hours.
Hodge says fortunately, a driver saw the hit and run accident and followed decided to follow Morris.
"I think he's a very good person. He deserves all the credit he gets," Hodge said.
"Why did you follow her?" we asked Angel Cordero, a resident of Port St. Lucie.
"I've been living in Port St. Lucie since 2003 off and on. I've got a family and kids and I'd want somebody to do the same it if was my child that got ran over," Cordero said.
Angel Cordero, a husband and father of two, turned out to be Daniel's angel---in a way---because he says after he saw the crash he was determined to follow the driver and called 911 with her license plate number and a description of her vehicle, a white Lincoln SUV.
"What was your reaction that she didn't stop?" we asked Cordero.
"Disbelief. Just total disregard for humanity. Just hard to believe that someone would just do that and make the conscious decision to keep moving forward," he said.
We tried to reach Morris for comment, but no one came to the door of her home in Port St. Lucie when we knocked.
Cordero says he's glad he had the chance to help.
"We're here to help one another I think. It's how you make the world a better place. I'm not trying to be a hero. Just trying to be a concerned citizen and do my part," Cordero explained.
"Thank you so much. You are an absolute life-saver," Hodge said when we asked what he would say to Cordero.
How do Port St. Lucie Police feel about what Cordero did?
A police spokesman says they appreciate the fact that he followed the alleged culprit and called them with her license plate number. Police say that was "a huge tip."
They say if you're in that type of situation and you can follow the driver at a safe distance and call 911 with the license plate number and description of the vehicle, that can be a big help. But they say don't try to stop the driver yourself.
