'He could have killed us': Driver not cited for Maitland rear-end collision caught on camera

Cellphone video captured the moments the 66-year-old driver of an SUV continued pressing the gas during a rear-end collision with another car on U.S. Highway 17-92 in Maitland last month.A passenger in the car that was hit and sustained $6,000 of damage contacted WESH 2 Investigates because the driver of the Kia Sportage was not cited, nor was he arrested for leaving the scene of the accident. "I don't understand because there was nobody on the side of us,” Sharon Hampton said. “There was no other traffic."Hampton said it was surreal to be back at the intersection of Orlando Avenue and Lake Avenue, where the terrifying experience happened on Friday, April 3. "Bro is trying to push them into traffic," a man is heard saying in the cellphone video.Hampton was in the backseat, her friend was in the front passenger’s seat, and her friend’s 18-year-old daughter was behind the wheel of the red Toyota Camry."It was a girl's night,” Hampton said. “We were going to go to Dillard's to get her prom dress."“What was the feeling of impact like when you felt him hit the back bumper?” WESH 2 Investigates asked Hampton."First was, 'That fool just hit us?'” she said. “But then, when he hit us again, it was looking at the back of the glass."Hampton said she suffered a moderate concussion."I was trying to turn around, but I had my seat belt on, and he backed up,” Hampton said. “He hit us again, and then you see what you see on the videotape as he's pushing us into the intersection."She said her friend’s daughter, who has her learner’s permit, has not driven since this happened."She had both her feet because she was screaming about her feet and having to lock on the brakes,” Hampton said. “And he finally sideswiped us, and then he kept going."Hampton said she’s concerned the driver of the Kia Sportage is not being held accountable for the collision."You give them a ticket, you get them in court, you let the judge say no driving until they can figure it out," she said.According to the Florida traffic crash report, a witness took a photo of the Kia’s license plate, and a Maitland Police Officer found the car’s registered owner. After being advised of his rights, the 66-year-old man asked for a lawyer, the office said."The registered owner advised that he suffers from neurological issues; he provided documentation from his neurological physician. He stated he was not aware he was in a vehicle accident," the officer’s report said.Hampton told WESH 2 Investigates, "His record is not clean in Orange nor Seminole County."Court records reviewed by WESH 2 Investigates confirm that since 2007, the driver received 11 traffic citations in Orange and Seminole counties.Some of the violations were careless driving, failure to obey a traffic control device, and crossing through a dirt construction highway divider on Interstate 4. Hampton is still feeling the effects of her concussion."I have my headaches,” she said. “I have the problems. We're dealing with it."Even though the Maitland officer observed fresh red paint and front bumper damage to the Kia, the last line of the report said, “Due to medical issues, V1 was not issued a citation.”“The police officer completed submission of a request to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles for a driver’s license re-examination,” Maitland police Public Information Officer Robert Sargent said in an email. Hampton said she feels fortunate her friend’s daughter prevented the car from being pushed into the intersection as other cars were making left turns."The man shouldn't have been driving if he's that ill,” she said. “He could have killed somebody. He could have killed us."WESH 2 Investigates shared the crash report and the video with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.The deputy director of communications acknowledged the email, but she has not yet answered questions about the status of the driver’s license and what the criteria are for FLHSMV to revoke someone’s license when they have documented medical issues and an extensive driving record.