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Inset: Karina Pubchara-Martinez (WTVJ). Background: The intersection of SW 32nd Street and SW 82nd Avenue in Miami, Florida, where Pubchara-Martinez allegedly hit a 7-year-old boy on a scooter (Google Maps).
In a distressing incident in Florida, an 82-year-old woman allegedly struck a 7-year-old boy riding an electric scooter and then fled the scene, leaving the child injured on the roadside. Authorities report the boy was left “unable to move” after the collision.
The unfortunate event happened around noon on January 10 at the junction of SW 32nd Street and SW 82nd Avenue in Miami. The police affidavit reveals that the boy was attempting to cross 32nd Street on his scooter, accompanied by his mother, when he was hit by a Toyota Camry. The vehicle was driven by Karina Pubchara-Martinez, who later confessed to hitting the child and leaving the scene.
According to law enforcement, Pubchara-Martinez did not stop after the accident and continued driving. When officers arrived, they discovered the boy incapacitated on the roadside, suffering from a severe head injury, a broken femur, and multiple cuts and bruises. Emergency personnel quickly transported him to the hospital for treatment.
Investigators managed to identify the vehicle involved and located it approximately two weeks after the incident, on January 22, just 3 miles from where the crash took place. The car displayed front-end damage consistent with the collision, as stated in the police affidavit.
Police tracked Pubchara-Martinez’s presence at the scene through her cellphone data. She is now facing legal charges for leaving the scene of an accident involving serious injury. She surrendered to authorities on Monday and has since been released on a $7,500 bond.
While she declined to speak with investigators, she spoke extensively to local NBC affiliate WTVJ. She appeared to blame the boy for the crash, saying he popped out in front of her as she was driving home from visiting her son.
“I was passing the jail when they hit me,” she told the station. “I got afraid because my glasses weren’t on my face and I ran away and that’s very bad,” she added, seemingly admitting to leaving the scene.
“I was passing through and they didn’t stop when they’re supposed to stop and they hit me,” she also said. “But I left, so I’m worse.”
Pubchara-Martinez went on to say that she was “sorry for what happened” and was praying for the well-being of the boy she hit.
Meanwhile, the boy’s mother said in an interview with WTVJ that she doesn’t understand why someone could hit a child and not stop.
“Had I not been outside, I probably would’ve found him dead or something,” the mother said.
The boy has already had numerous surgeries.
“He has a long road ahead of him,” she said.