If found, the driver who caused the wreck that injured FAU safety Austin Jensen (above) could face felony charges.
FHP: Driver who caused accident fled scene
Florida Highway Patrol is looking for the driver of a blue Nissan SUV who they believe caused the accident that landed FAU safety Austin Jensen in the hospital.
Originally published on
2/14/2010
by
Chuck King
> Earlier: Three FAU football players injured in crash
The Florida Highway Patrol is looking for the driver of a blue Nissan SUV who caused Saturday’s accident on I-95 that landed FAU safety Austin Jensen in the hospital, Trooper James Kudla said on Sunday.
Jensen, teammate Max Karrick and student trainer Kevin Thorton were passengers in a Ford Explorer Sport Trac being driven by FAU punter Mickey Groody when the driver of the Nissan ignited a two-car collision that caused Groody’s Ford to “roll two to three times,” said Kudla, who responded to the accident.
The driver of the Nissan stopped briefly on the grass on I-95’s shoulder following the accident before speeding north on I-95. The accident happened shortly after noon in the northbound lane of the interstate between the Glades Rd. and Yamato Rd. exits, south of the Spanish River overpass.
Finding the driver won’t be easy. While multiple witnesses saw the accident, no one was able to get a model or license plate number and it is not believed the Nissan made contact with any cars. Additionally, there is no description of the driver.
“When you don’t have a tag number and there is no damage to the vehicle, it is basically going to be impossible to find,” Kudla said.
Jensen was thrown from the truck during the rollover, according to Kudla. He said the 911 caller who reported the incident said a person was laying in the middle of the road. An ambulance took Jensen to Delray Municipal Hospital, where he was admitted with a fractured pelvis and a fractured skull, Kudla said.
“He didn’t look too bad when I saw him in the hospital - aside from being in obvious pain,” Kudla said.
Jensen was still in intensive care on Sunday.
"I have spoken with both Austin and his family and I'm confident Austin will fully recover," FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger said in a statement released Sunday evening. "Austin is doing well and his family is with him. He remains in ICU, but is making progress. Austin has received a tremendous outpouring of support and camaraderie from his teammates and friends, for that his family and I are extremely grateful. Our thoughts and prayers will be with him through this fight for recovery."
If located, the driver of the Nissan would likely face multiple charges, the most serious being: Leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury. Kudla said that is a third degree felony.
The FAU students were headed to their football banquet when witnesses said the Nissan driver, traveling at a high rate of speed, abruptly cut across several lanes of traffic. The move caused a black Pontiac to swerve, and the woman driving the car eventually lost control, clipping Groody’s vehicle in front of the left rear tire.
Jensen was sitting in the above the point of contact. Kudla did not believe Jensen was wearing a seat belt.
“He kind of took the brunt of it,” Kudla said.
The other three passengers in Groody’s car remained inside the rolling vehicle. They, along with the driver of the Pontiac, declined ambulance transportation to the hospital.
Kudla said Groody called his father immediately following the accident. Groody’s father came to the scene and waited for the students to give the FHP their accounts of the incident, then drove them to the hospital for examination. All three were treated and released.
Kulda said the other passengers suffered minor cuts and bruises.