17-year-old arrested after 2 teens injured in Lee County hit-and-run

Writer: Matthew Seaver
Published: Updated:
Bystanders and Lee County Sheriff’s deputies at the scene of a hit-and-run that hospitalized two teenagers at orange River Boulevard and Lorraine Drive in Lee County, Thursday, August 18, 2022. Credit: WINK News

A 17-year-old girl was arrested for a hit-and-run at a Lee County intersection on Thursday morning, which hurt two teenagers.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash occurred around 6:15 a.m. at the Orange River Boulevard and Lorriane Drive intersection.

WINK News spoke to the family of the two teenagers, 16-year-olds Nancy and Daniel Bernardo, who were hit by the car while waiting for a school bus.

16-year-old Nancy Bernardo after being hit by a car while waiting for the bus. (Credit: America Bernardo)

The family says Nancy is a little shaken up, but doesn’t have any major injuries. They say Daniel has a broken collarbone and other minor injuries. The family says the teens are at home recovering.

“The driver did not even try to stop or didn’t help my brother. He was in the ditch. He calls 911,” said America Bernardo, sister and aunt of the two kids hit.

Bernardo says she has been fighting for years to have a light installed at the bus stop where the teens were hit because the area is dark and unsafe during the early morning hours.

Car driven by 17-year-old during hit-and-run. (Credit: FHP)

The 17-year-old who hit the teens was arrested after her father turned her in. WINK News spoke to Luis Moreno, who said his 17-year-old daughter left the scene because she panicked.

“She was driving down the road going to school, and an accident happened,” said Moreno. “And she came home right afterwards.”

Moreno said he flagged down a law enforcement officer who was patrolling the area looking for the person responsible for the hit-and-run and turned his daughter in.

“I called the police that were already around up and down this road. And I talked to him, I flagged him down, and I told him, ‘sir, this is where, you know, you’re looking for this vehicle. This is it right here. OK? Nobody’s hiding from you. Nobody’s trying to do anything wrong here,'” said Moreno.

Moreno said his daughter is behind bars and charged with a felony, but he says she doesn’t belong in there and said this was an accident and she should not have fled the scene.

Florida Highway Patrol says the teen is facing a charge of leaving the scene of a crash involving injury.

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