Lakeland police department press release
FATAL CRASH INVOLVING A PEDESTRIAN
LAKELAND, FL (September 16, 2023) – On Saturday, September 16, 2023, at approximately 2:27 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 3200 block of South Florida Avenue for a traffic crash involving a pedestrian. At the scene, officers located an unresponsive male who had been struck by a white Kia Soul. The Lakeland Police Department, Polk County Fire Rescue, and the Lakeland Fire Department all arrived to begin life-saving measures. The pedestrian was transported to Lakeland Regional Hospital with critical injuries. Despite the best efforts of medical professionals, the pedestrian succumbed to his injuries shortly before 3:00 p.m. this afternoon.
Based on information gathered at the scene, officers believe the Kia was traveling northbound on South Florida Avenue in the outside travel lane. At the same time, the pedestrian was attempting to cross the roadway eastbound and entered the path of the Kia and was struck. The driver of the Kia remained at the scene and was not injured. The pedestrian was wearing dark clothing, and the area was not marked for pedestrian traffic.
The roadway was shut down for approximately three hours to process the scene for the ongoing investigation. At this time, the deceased’s name is not being released pending the open investigation in accordance with Marsy’s Law.
Anyone with information regarding the crash is asked to contact Traffic Crash Inspector Officer Emily Suttle at [email protected].
Driver:
Michael Childres
Age: 55
Address: Lakeland, FL
Pedestrian:
Male
Age: 27
Address: Lakeland, FL
