The driver responsible for fatally hitting a 15-year-old girl in Lisbon in the early hours of Saturday confessed to authorities that he fled the accident scene due to being “in shock,” according to a law enforcement source.
Speaking to journalists, Ana Ricardo, Deputy Commissioner of the PSP, stated that at the time the driver turned himself in at the police station in Largo do Rato, he explained he entered “a state of shock,” which led him to choose fleeing the scene rather than staying, although he later surrendered.
Regarding the accident, Ana Ricardo emphasized that authorities are continuing to investigate “the circumstances” surrounding the event, including how the young girl “crossed the road, and whether she was on the crosswalk or not.” It is currently known that the minor “was thrown” by the impact.
The accident occurred at 12:10 AM, in front of the Santos train station, specifically on Avenida 24 de Julho.
The victim was transported in critical condition to Hospital de São José, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
Some time after the incident, the PSP located the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run. It was found “abandoned,” with “damages consistent” with the accident, at Largo do Carmo, around the same time the suspect turned himself in at 2:18 AM.
The suspect was identified, officially named as a defendant, and subject to a Term of Identity and Residence.
Over the past week, there have been at least five pedestrian accidents in the capital region. One occurred on the Marginal road in the Oeiras municipality on Sunday, in the direction from Carcavelos to Lisbon, injuring three cyclists, one of whom is in serious condition.
On the same day, a nine-year-old child was hit in Amadora, Lisbon district. The suspect in that hit-and-run was later identified and officially named as a defendant.
