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Pedestrian, 80, Dies in Hillsborough Avenue Hit and Run

Police Lights | Caution | TB Reporter

Witnesses told Tampa police that he pushed his wife out of the way before he was hit. Police are searching for the driver.

TAMPA – An 80-year-old man was killed Saturday (March 17) when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver while walking along W Hillsborough Avenue with his wife, the Tampa Police Department said.

Felix De la Uz, 80, died at the scene. Witnesses told police that, before he died, Mr. De la Uz pushed his wife, Narda Vazquez Ruiz, out of the way, sacrificing his safety for hers. It is unclear if Ruiz was injured.

The crash happened about 12:22 p.m. in the 4000 block of W Hillsborough Avenue. Witnesses told police that the Witnesses state that a white Honda Civic was heading west on Hillsborough when, for unknown reasons, it left the roadway hitting a sign, an electrical box, and Mr. De la Uz.

The Honda stopped about 500 feet later and the occupants – a man and a woman – fled on foot. They can be seen in a video as they were leaving the scene between businesses.

Hillsborough Avenue was closed for hours to allow officers to investigate the crime scene; reopening around 6:30 p.m. Detectives are continuing work on developing leads in this case and are also reaching out to the public to help identify the hit-and-run driver and his passenger.

The driver was described as a man about 5 feet, 4 inches tall, wearing white tank top, dark shorts and dark shoes. The passenger was described as a woman about 5 feet, 4 inches tall wearing a green shirt and jeans.

Anyone with information that can help identify the driver or passenger is urged to contact Crimestoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477).

To see the video, go to facebook.com.

Tampa Police | Hit and Run | Fatal Crash | Traffic Accident | Hillsborough Avenue Crash | Felix De la Uz | Tampabay News

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