ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida Highway Patrol troopers are searching for a man in connection to a deadly hit-and-run crash that happened Sunday in Pinellas County.
FHP says around 3:30 a.m. Sunday, a 23-year-old man on an electric scooter, later identified as Kris Simington, was attempting to cross over a raised concrete median dividing 66th Street N. near 51st Avenue N.
Unable to get over the median, he fell into the inside southbound lane of 66th Street N. directly into the path of an unknown car, according to troopers.
The car hit the Simington and continued driving, FHP says. He died at the scene.
Troopers found the white pickup truck they believe to be connected to this crash. FHP says it received a pre-cash photo of a person of interest from a nearby gas station.
Anyone with information regarding this crash is asked to contact Crime Stoppers by calling **TIPS or the FHP by calling *FHP or 813-558-1800.
According to FHP, in 2021, there were 108,155 reported hit-and-run crashes in the state of Florida, 304 of which were deadly.
In 2021, drivers left the scene of a crash roughly one-quarter of the time, according to FHP.
Simington's fiancée Kearra Nucup was devastated by his loss. She describes him saying, "He was smart and very kind and very silly, he made everybody smile."