State attorney to investigate fatal hit and run

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. (WSVN) -- Police have handed over a fatal hit and run case to the State Attorney's Office.

After they discovered the green sport utility vehicle, which allegedly caused a Monday morning fatal crash that took the life of 88-year-old Stella Fugo, Pembroke Pines Police turned over the case to the state attorney, who will determine whether charges should be filed. The alleged driver's father said his 25-year-old daughter is schizophrenic and admitted that she was the one driving the car at the time of the crash.

Police decided not to charge the driver and have not commented on the case following their discovery of the driver's SUV. It is now up to the state attorney to decide whether the driver will face any charges.

According to the alleged driver's father, his daughter could not recall the accident because of her mental condition. When asked if she should have been driving with such a condition, he responded, "That's not my decision to make. She's 25 years old. Take that up with the State of Florida. They're the ones who issued her her driver's license."

Florida's Department of Motor Vehicles said a person who suffers from schizophrenia can get a driver's license if they admit that they are schizophrenic when they go to the DMV and they produce documentation from a doctor that says they can drive if they are taking medication.

Police had reported that the driver of the SUV allegedly sideswiped Fugo's vehicle, sending the elderly motorist to her death in an ensuing collision with a tree.

Fugo was traveling northbound on Flamingo Road, headed to her daughter's house, at around 10:30 a.m. That is when, authorities said, the SUV struck her car just south of Sheridan Street as the SUV's driver attempted to switch lanes. The impact propelled the 88-year-old's automobile onto the median, where she would ricochet off one tree and smash into another. That tree has since been adorned with flowers in a makeshift memorial.

The elderly woman succumbed to her injuries after rescue crews transported her to Hollywood's Memorial Regional Hospital. "I just don't understand how anyone can do that," said Toni Watz, the victim's niece, "just knowingly hit someone and keep going. I mean, an accident is an accident; at least stop and help her."

Pembroke Pines Police said they found the suspect SUV the next day, about a mile away from the crash scene, and towed it from the driver's home, but they never confirmed who was behind the wheel. Police used an image of the vehicle, captured before the accident, during their investigation.

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