Crime & Safety
Driver in Hit-and-Run Crash With Motorcycle Arrested, Says FHP
Ariel Andrade, 52, of Palm Harbor, called 911 operators and told them he was involved in an accident on Tampa Road and had left the scene because he was scared, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report.
A Palm Harbor driver turned himself into authorities after hitting a motorcyclist on Tampa Road and then leaving the scene of the crash, according to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP).
Ariel Andrade, 52, was charged with leaving the scene of a crash and failure to yield.
FHP investigators say around 8:10 p.m. on Feb. 15, Andrade was driving a 1993 Nissan Sentra eastbound on Tampa Road and was attempting to take a left turn onto Katherine Boulevard when he hit a 2008 Aprilia motorcycle driving westbound on Tampa Road.
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Investigators say Andrade then drove away.
The driver of the motorcycle, Richard William Hardy, 23, of Palm Harbor, was injured in the crash and was transported to Mease Countryside Hospital.
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Andrade later called 911 operators and told them he was involved in an accident and had left the scene because he was scared, according to an FHP report. A FHP officer then went to Andrade's home where Andrade allegedly admitted to his role in the crash and leaving the scene. Andrade was then arrested and transported to the Pinellas County Jail.
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