SURFSIDE, Fla. – Police said they arrested an unlicensed driver who struck and critically injured a woman following a Fourth of July fireworks show in Surfside.
It was just after a fireworks show ended when a Bal Harbour woman in her 50s was hit while trying to cross the 500 block of 96th Street.
Police identified the driver as Jose Lara Vega, 23, of southwest Miami-Dade. The Mexican national was arrested for not having a driver’s license.
“It appears that he’s never had a driver’s license,” said Surfside police Chief Henry Doce. “He’s been in the country for seven months.”
Police said the woman tried to dart across the street but misjudged the oncoming traffic.
“It’s very disturbing, seeing something like that,” said witness Ronnie Rosenberg.
Police body cam video obtained by Local 10 News showed several Good Samaritans who jumped in and tried to help the woman, who is being treated at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.