Troopers search for driver who hit, killed writer from Lake Mary

State troopers are looking for the driver who took off after hitting and killing a man over the weekend.

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A driver hit Mike Berry on U.S. 301 near County Road 102 in Sumter County.

His son, Max, said his father was leaving the Oxford Downs poker room late Friday when he was hit by a car walking along U.S. 301.

“My dad wrote a lot of different stories that impacted the community,” Max Berry said.

Read: Troopers search for hit-and-run driver after pedestrian killed

His father, who worked for years at the Orlando Sentinel and Lake Mary Life Magazine, was killed in a hit-and-run crash.

According to Florida Highway Patrol, the driver of a 1992 to 1997 Ford Bronco or F-Series pick-up truck was traveling southbound in the inside lane of U.S. 301.

The driver left the scene, and Berry was found the next morning in the median.

Read: FHP: Driver leaves scene of deadly pedestrian crash in Marion County

Parts from the vehicle were also found at the scene, including the front headlight housing.

" You don’t know what kind of carnage you left behind if this person had gotten out,” Max Berry said. “Who knows, they might have been able to save my dad, they could have called the paramedics. But to let another human being suffer possibly, and to leave that behind to not to be accountable.”

According to FHP, the state averages 250 hit-and-run deaths a year, with more than 85% occurring after dark.

Read: Search underway for driver who killed person in wheelchair, drove off in Brevard County

“Whoever they are, we’re gonna find them regardless,” Max Berry said. “But I hope they do it the right way and come forward. But they don’t do it themselves, I will make sure that we’ll find them.”

If you have any information about the crash, contact FHP or contact Crimeline if you want to remain anonymous.

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