Florida Highway Patrol Seeks Driver in Hit-and-Run That Left Moped Rider with Life-Altering Injuries

Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) is asking for the public’s help to identify the driver responsible for a devastating hit-and-run crash that left a young man with catastrophic, permanent injuries in Putnam County.

The crash occurred just before 10 p.m. on January 15 along State Road 207 near Rector Road in East Palatka, close to Hastings.

According to FHP and the victim, 28-year-old Eric Orengo, he was riding his moped home from work in the bike lane when a pickup truck swerved into his path and struck him from behind at high speed.

The impact threw Orengo from his moped, and he was partially run over. Instead of stopping to help, the driver fled the scene, leaving Orengo severely injured in the roadway.

Orengo remained on the ground for nearly 40 minutes, critically injured and alone, until a passerby noticed his white socks in the darkness and stopped to help.

“I thought I was dying,” Orengo said from his hospital bed. “I thought I wasn’t going to survive at all.”

The woman who stopped, identified only as Tracy, stayed with him until first responders arrived. Orengo and his family credit her with saving his life.

“I call her my angel,” Orengo said. “She saved me.”

Doctors say Orengo suffered life-altering injuries, including:

• Nine broken bones
• Spinal injuries
• Severe head trauma
• Neck fracture
• Broken right leg
• Fractured left knee
• Broken ribs

Medical professionals have told him that recovery could take years, and there is a possibility that he may never walk again.

Once an active man who worked as a cook, built houses, and enjoyed beach walks with his wife, Orengo now faces an uncertain future.

Orengo’s mother, Bedenissis Feliciano, traveled from Pennsylvania after learning of the crash and expressed heartbreak and anger over the driver’s actions.

“I would’ve forgiven him as a mother,” she said. “But he left my son to die on the side of the road like he was nobody.”

His wife, Jessenia Orengo, described watching her husband endure unimaginable pain.

“You destroyed my husband,” she said. “It’s sad to see him scream and beg people to help him forget.”

The family is pleading with the driver to come forward.

Florida Highway Patrol released images of a gray or silver pickup truck, believed to be:

• 2004–2006 GMC or Chevrolet
• Likely showing damage consistent with a rear-end collision

Anyone with information is urged to contact Florida Highway Patrol or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers.

Hit-and-Run Crashes Carry Severe Legal Consequences

Under Florida law, leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury is a felony with significant prison exposure. When a driver flees, it often worsens injuries and can turn survivable crashes into life-threatening events.

Victims of hit-and-run crashes may pursue civil claims to recover compensation for:

• Extensive medical care and future treatment
• Lost income and loss of earning capacity
• Permanent disability
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress for the victim and family

Even when the at-fault driver has not yet been identified, there may be insurance options available, including uninsured motorist coverage.

How Flanagan & Bodenheimer Helps Hit-and-Run Victims

At Flanagan & Bodenheimer Injury & Wrongful Death Law Firm, we represent victims of catastrophic injuries and hit-and-run crashes across Florida.

We intentionally keep a small caseload, allowing our attorneys to:

• Work directly with victims and families
• Coordinate with law enforcement investigations
• Identify all available insurance coverage
• Preserve evidence and surveillance footage
• Pursue full compensation for long-term care and disability

Clients pay nothing upfront. We only collect fees if we recover compensation.

If you have any information about this crash or the suspect vehicle, please contact Florida Highway Patrol or Crime Stoppers immediately. Your information could bring accountability and help a family devastated by this senseless act.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a hit-and-run crash, you do not have to face this alone.

📞 Contact Flanagan & Bodenheimer Injury & Wrongful Death Law Firm for a free, confidential consultation. We represent injury victims throughout Putnam County and across Florida.