LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — A Lehigh Acres man was arrested for DUI manslaughter after Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) investigators said he hit a bicyclist and fled the scene.
According to FHP, the crash happened in Lehigh on Douglas Lane Sunday night around 9:35 pm.
32-year-old Zenaido Martinez Gomez was the one taken into custody.
Investigators believe Gomez was traveling east on Douglas Lane and partially entered the north grass shoulder and hit the bicyclist and a mailbox.
Cindy Valladares, who was staying in her mother's house said it was their family's mailbox that Martinez Gomez ran over.
Valladares said she won't forget what she saw when she walked out of her front door.
“The mailbox is gone that was made out of concrete...then there was a young guy laid out on the driveway,” that's when Valladares said she called 9-1-1.
According to the crash report, the victim was transported to the hospital but later died.
Vehicle 1 (Jeep Gladiator) was traveling east on Douglas Lane
The car Gomez was driving was located at an address in Lehigh Acres where he was arrested for leaving the scene involving death, DUI manslaughter, and DUI property damage.
The accident, according to Delmar Haley who was raising his two young daughters and lives in the area, was a refelection of an ongoing safety issue within the the community.
“You know sometimes you just want to take a stroll down the road, they are on the bike and you are walking...But some are not paying attention like on the cell phone and just speeding and not realizing there’s kids," said Haley.
The crash remains under investigation, Fox 4 will update you when more information develops.
