NewsPalm Beach CountyRegion C Palm Beach County

Actions

Driver sought in deadly hit-and-run crash near West Palm Beach

25-year-old woman killed
wptv-hit-and-run
Posted at 8:50 AM, Jul 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-08 21:33:13-04

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said a woman was killed in a hit-and-run crash Sunday night near West Palm Beach.

As of Monday night, the search continues for the driver.

PBSO said an unknown driver was traveling north on Military Trail near Community Drive at about 10:56 p.m. Sunday. At the same time, investigators said a female pedestrian was traveling across the northbound lanes of Military Trail. 

PBSO said the pedestrian, identified as 25-year-old Danielle Taylor Slocum did not use the crosswalk and traveled into the path of the vehicle.

Investigators said the car struck Slocum and then fled the scene.

The driver of a second vehicle said he did not see the victim in the road, could not avoid the crash and traveled over the pedestrian. 

Slocum died at the scene from her injuries.

We spoke to Danielle’s father at his Delray Beach home, who shared his grief and said that she was all he had. Her friends also shared words on social media, with one friend saying she had a heart of gold and was an Earth angel before she went to heaven.

The incident is adding to the growing concerns people in the area have for this stretch of road.

“I was mentally shocked," Syed Mahbob, who owns the Shell gas station on Community Drive and Military Trail.

He said he's seen too many crashes over the years.

“So many people die, so many people," he said. “I see it all the time, drivers have no respect to human beings.”

He said he was sad to hear the news of another crash on Sunday night.

“I’m very sorry," he said. "I don’t want anything to happen anymore in this intersection.”

Others who live in the area say there are a lot of pedestrians, especially at night.

“A lot of people running red lights, not stopping, none paying attention to the traffic and just speeding," said one woman who lives nearby. "I'm not shocked, I can see it happening. No one pays attention."

Numbers we obtained from West Palm Beach police show nearly 20 crashes between December and June on Military Trail within the four mile stretch between Okeechobee Boulevard and 45th Street. The data shows any incident involving a vehicle, including hit and runs.

In this case, no arrests have been made.

PBSO has also not released a description of the vehicle that hit Slocum and fled the scene.

The incident is something the Vision Zero program wants to put to a stop completely, with a goal to have zero fatalities and zero serious injuries on the roadways by the year 2030.

Click here to read more.