Accident – death – Obituary News :

Hit-and-Run Crash Claims Bicyclist’s Life and Leads to Arrest of Driver

A tragic hit-and-run accident resulted in the death of a bicyclist on Sunday, leading to the subsequent arrest of the driver involved. The incident occurred on Blitchton Road (U.S. 27), just east of Interstate 75 in Ocala, Florida.

According to the Ocala Police Department, the driver, identified as Elizabeth Pizzonia, was operating a Mini Cooper heading west on Blitchton Road when, for reasons yet to be determined, she veered off the road and struck a cyclist who was riding on the sidewalk. Shockingly, instead of stopping, Pizzonia continued driving.

The incident took place in the 3100 block of Northwest Blitchton Road and was reported to the police shortly after 6:30 p.m. Responding to the call, Marion County Sheriff’s deputies located the car and the driver in Ocala Park Estates, after which Ocala police officials arrived on the scene to interview Pizzonia.

During the conversation, Elizabeth Pizzonia claimed that she was unaware of what she had struck with her vehicle and had panicked, resulting in her fleeing the scene. She revealed that she eventually contacted a relative, who advised her to report the crash to the authorities.

Subsequently, Ocala officers conducted a field sobriety exercise on Pizzonia, who was found to have failed the test. Consequently, she was taken into custody and transported to the Marion County Jail. However, before being booked, officials decided to have her evaluated and took her to a local hospital for examination.

Despite being requested to take a breath test to determine her level of impairment at the time of the crash, Pizzonia refused. Consequently, officers obtained a search warrant to draw blood from her for testing purposes. Following the evaluation and the blood draw, Elizabeth Pizzonia was eventually returned to the jail for processing.

Elizabeth Pizzonia is currently being held on charges of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death, as well as DUI manslaughter. The police have not yet released the name of the victim, an adult bicycle rider, pending notification of their family members.

This tragic incident marks the first traffic fatality in Ocala for the year 2024. However, in 2023, the city witnessed the loss of ten lives due to vehicle crashes.

For further information, please contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com.

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