HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – The driver of a pickup truck walked away from the scene of a crash Wednesday morning in Hollywood that left the pickup and a big rig covered in human waste.
The crash occurred shortly before 5:40 a.m. off Sheridan Street near 20th Avenue.
The driver of the big rig told Local 10 News reporter Trent Kelly that he was hauling fertilizer while traveling west along Sheridan Street when he saw a red pickup truck speeding in the other direction.
He said that driver lost control, crossed over the median and crashed in front of a home.
“I guess it came over the railroad tracks, like, extremely fast and it was losing control, losing control. It was flying,” Manuel Fernandez said.
Fernandez said his big rig was not actually struck, but he had to come to a quick stop to avoid being hit, which caused the human waste to spill out, covering his truck and the pickup truck.
“It was in the air and it just ended up right there. I had to stop so fast that the stuff came over into my truck,” he said.
Fernandez said the driver of the pickup casually walked away from the scene after the crash, appearing to try not to draw attention to himself.
“He gets out of the vehicle with camouflage pants, like a black shirt and black hat -- like he’s ready to go somewhere and do something. I don’t know what. And then he had a bag, it looked like a rifle or something,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez told Kelly that he hid when he saw what he believed was a rifle bag.
“Did you see the rifle he was carrying?” Kelly asked.
“It was a rifle case,” Fernandez responded.
Westbound lanes on Sheridan Street were shut down after the crash.
A police helicopter was over the scene as authorities searched for the driver.
Crews spent much of the morning trying to clean up the area, even using a backhoe at one point to scoop up the smelly sludge.
The air is breathable again, but police say they’re still trying to clean up the messy details in this case.
Despite the large mess left behind, Fernandez said he feels lucky to be OK.
“I’m grateful. Just grateful that I didn’t get hurt and nobody else got hurt,” he said.
Anyone with information about the driver who fled the scene is asked to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.