Teen Charged In Deadly Hit & Run Thought He Had Hit A Dog
FT. LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – The Pompano Beach teen accused of being behind the car was involved in a deadly hit and run accident thought he had hit a dog.
During a bond court appearance before Broward Judge John Hurley, 18-year old Tyler Burdhimo remained quiet as his arrest report was read, according to The Sun-Sentinel. In the report, Burdhimo reportedly told investigators he thought he had hit a dog and didn't stop.
Burdhimo is charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving a fatality and having no driver's license in a crash involving a death. Judge Hurley set bond at $17,500.
Burdhimo was reportedly behind the wheel of a Nissan Altima when he hit 75-year old Maria Konstantinidis near the intersection of NE 45th Street and 15th Terrace in Oakland Park. Broward Sheriff's investigators said there were no skid marks on the road, meaning the driver never put on the brakes.
During the hearing, Judge Hurley told Burdhimo told the court that "even somebody who hit a dog would have gotten out of the car," according to the paper.
Detectives investigating the deadly accident caught a break when someone spotted the Altima with front end damage just two blocks away from where Konstantinidis was hit.
The vehicle, however, doesn't belong to Burdhimo's. Instead, investigators discovered it belongs to his friend, David Harris.
According to David's father, Michael, no one in the family knew until Burdhimo called and said he hit something, but they didn't know how serious it was.
"His friend, as far as I know, called him up and said, 'Oh, I hit something, you're window's damaged," Michael Harris said.
If Burdhimo posts bail on Wednesday, the sheriff's office said he will have to wait until Thursday to be released because he must first be outfitted with a GPS monitoring device.
