PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A 15-year-old girl is recovering after being struck by a car while using a crosswalk with flashing lights.
Her mother asked that we not identify her daughter, and we are simply referring to her mom as Jami. She says the crash left her daughter severely injured and the family questioning why the driver walked away with a $166 ticket even after a deputy noted in a report the man smelled of alcohol.
Body camera video we obtained shows witnesses telling deputies at the scene, “We were stopped here, lights were flashing,” as the teen began crossing the intersection. Surveillance video captured the moment the car hit her, sending her into the air.
According to the crash report, a Pinellas County deputy wrote that the driver “had a slight odor of alcohol emitting from his breath.” Body camera audio also recorded a deputy saying, “I smell some alcohol.”…