MOUNT DORANS INVOLVED IN DEC. 2 FATAL HIT-AND-RUN CRASH

(Updated 1/1/2018) According to Florida Highway Patrol, the driver and the bicyclist involved in yesterday's deadly crash in unincorporated Mount Dora were both residents of the city.

At approximately 6 p.m. on December 2, Donald Mosher, 48, was riding a bicycle northbound on South Clayton Street near Elyisum Boulevard.  Melissa Kidd, 38, was travelling behind the cyclist in the same direction. According to Florida Highway Patrol, Kidd failed to slow down as she approached the bike and struck it from behind.  The speed limit on that stretch of rural road is 45 miles per hour.  There were no skid marks at the scene, but car parts were scattered across the road, according to a witness.

An unresponsive Mosher was discovered in the road by another driver a few minutes after the accident occurred.  The cyclist was resuscitated and transported to Florida Hospital Waterman by paramedics. He later died. The first driver on the scene observed that Mosher was wearing dark clothing and no helmet.

Kidd left the scene of the fatal accident, but police located her after her severely damaged Nissan truck became disabled less than a mile away on Clayton street. 

The accident remains under investigation and charges against Kidd are pending, according to FHP.

"A homicide crash investigation requires very precise measurements to be obtained from the scene of the crash that includes such things as drag factor of the roadway, vehicle evidence, weather at the time of the crash, and any witness statements," said Laura Hargrove, a criminal defense attorney and partner in the Tavares law firm of Gause & Hargrove, PLLC. 

Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death is a first degree felony and carries a mandatory 4-year prison term if convicted, according to Hargrove.

"In my experience, this type of case can take a month or more before charges are formally filed. Since this incident occurred in December, it could take longer due to the holidays," said Hargove.

A wooden cross with messages from Mosher's family was erected near the scene of the accident. 

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