A 30-year-old Lady Lake man has been arrested after he allegedly fled on foot from the scene of an accident Sunday on State Road 44 in which a woman in another vehicle was injured.
Ventura Miranda of 37420 Hobby Way is facing a felony charge of hit and run and failure to stay at an accident scene. He is also facing a charge of driving with a license that had been expired for more than six months.
Miranda’s 2002 Chevrolet truck had crossed the center line of SR 44 near Harbor Shores Road in Lake County at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday and struck a minivan driven by 27-year-old Shelly Anne Vanzant of Umatilla, according to an accident report from the Florida Highway Patrol. The air bags of both vehicles deployed. Vanzant was transported from the scene of the accident by Lake EMS to Ocala Regional Medical Center.
Miranda fled on foot. FHP tracked down the woman who owned the truck and she gave them Miranda’s name. When the investigator arrived at Miranda’s Lady Lake home, Miranda’s wife told him that her husband had been driving the truck and told the investigator her husband speaks little English. She also gave the investigator her husband’s Mexican ID card, the FHP report indicated.
The investigator made contact with Miranda and noted that he had abrasions on his arms that looked like air bag burns. Miranda also appeared to have seatbelt burns, the report indicated.
Miranda told investigators he would not speak without a lawyer present. He did give the investigator the shirt he had been wearing at the time of the accident.
The FHP took a DNA sample off the airbag in the truck involved in the accident and matched it with one from Miranda’s shirt. A warrant was obtained for Miranda’s arrest.
He was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon and booked at the Lake County Jail.
During an interview at the jail with the FHP investigator, Miranda admitted that he had been the driver of the truck. He also indicated that he either blacked out our fell asleep.
