63-year-old cyclist killed in Florida in motorist hit-and-run

Update: The woman who was killed by the driver has since been identified as Canadian Fran McConnell.  The staff at Canadian Cycling Magazine extend their sincere condolences in light of this horrific tragedy.

Please consider a donation to the Florida Bicycle Association in her honour. She is survived by David, Katelyn and Jessica McConnell.

A hit-and-run incident resulting in the death of a cyclist led to the arrest of a 19-year-old in Sebring, Florida, as reported by the Florida Highway Patrol.

The collision occurred around 8:45 a.m. on Sunday when a 63-year-old Sebring woman was cycling southbound on Ponce DeLeon Boulevard near Sun North Lake Boulevard. Tavarrius Hilton, the 19-year-old driver of a Chevrolet Malibu, struck the woman with the right front of his vehicle while trailing behind her. Tragically, the woman succumbed to her injuries at the scene, and Hilton fled from the scene.

The FHP’s Homicide Unit later located the Malibu at a condominium in Sebring, leading to Hilton’s arrest for leaving the scene of a fatal accident. He was subsequently booked into the Highland County Jail.