Police said he admitted hitting a pedestrian because he was looking at his phone trying to pick out music.

CLEARWATER – A man has been accused of leaving the scene of a crash that critically injured a woman pedestrian, the Clearwater Police Department said.

The 59-year-old female pedestrian was taken to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg in critical condition. Her name is being withheld until her next of kin are notified.

Chase Childers, 22, of Clearwater, was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury and careless driving.

The woman was crossing Drew Street on Tuesday morning in a crosswalk when she was struck by a car driven by Childers, who was making a left turn from southbound Fort Harrison onto eastbound Drew. Police said he initially stopped and called 9-1-1, then left the scene after telling fire rescue workers he had found the woman laying in the street.

Childers was later tracked down by officers and he admitted to hitting the woman. Police said he told them he was distracted by looking at his phone trying to pick out music when he made the turn and hit the woman. He added that he was scared and left the scene.

Clearwater Police | Drew Street Crash | Fort Harrison Crash | Hit and Run Crash | Tampabay News

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