Hit-and-run driver arrested after critically injuring elderly man on mobility scooter: Clearwater police

CLEARWATER, Fla. - A Port Richey man was arrested in connection with a hit-and-run crash that left an elderly man in critical condition on Monday, according to officials.

Clearwater Police traffic homicide investigators arrested 37-year-old Kris Paterson. Police say Paterson was driving a 2021 Dodge Ram pickup that hit an 80-year-old man riding a mobility scooter at the intersection of Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard and Hampton Road.

Paterson was making a right turn from a business parking lot to go east on Gulf-to-Bay when the crash happened, according to authorities.

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Investigators say instead of calling 911 or stopping to help, Paterson sped away. He stopped a half-mile down the road on Bayview Avenue to get the scooter unstuck from under his truck, according to police.

Officers say Paterson told them he was aware he had run something over but did not know it was a person and also said he was running late for his job.

Multiple witnesses supplied video or photos that helped officers with the investigation, according to Clearwater police.

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"We'd like to thank the members of the community for the way they banded together after witnessing this crash," said Police Chief Eric Gandy in a press release. "They did what this driver failed to do - call police and try to help."

Officials say the 80-year-old victim is still in critical condition at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa.

Paterson was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury and was booked into the Pinellas County Jail late Monday, according to law enforcement.

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