LAUDERHILL, FLA. (WSVN) - Police say they have the man responsible for the hit-and-run that killed a woman in Lauderhill, but for the victim’s family, the horror and heartbreak will never go away.
Armand and DeLordes St. Louis were to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in November. The entire family was looking forward to it, but instead they’re planning a funeral after the hit-and-run Monday morning.
Armand is in the hospital, but he will survive. DeLourdes died on the scene.
“Today is kind of, like, the hardest day for me, because I woke up — I can’t even sleep, actually. I haven’t slept for three days, almost,” said Richard St. Louis.
The entire ordeal was caught on camera. Armand and DeLordes were driving in the red SUV, turning onto Northwest 16th Street from State Road 7, when a green BMW slammed into them. The red SUV rolled over several times.
“I saw the video, and it was heartbreaking to see my parents go through that, because I just can’t even imagine what was going through their head,” said Marie St. Louis.
Surveillance footage shows the driver of the BMW, who police say is 19-year-old Decarius Richards, getting into a friend’s car and leaving the scene. To make matters worse, there were two children in the car with him, and despite their injuries, they were also taken from the scene.
“Yeah, that… That’s what’s most heartbreaking, you know, leaving the scene, not even caring,” said Marie.
There were plenty of caring strangers like Good Samaritan Jeff Yohanc, who pulled Armand out of the car, though he didn’t want to leave his wife’s side.
“He was trying to wake her up, and we said, ‘Hey, we gotta get you out of here,'” said Yohanc. “His main concern was her.”
It’s Yohanc that the St. Louis family wants to focus on, the man who stopped to help, not the man who police say ran and is now behind bars.
“We want to say thank you. Honestly, thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” said Marie.
Richards’s bail is set at $300,000. The victim’s family said they would love to meet the Good Samaritan in person to say thanks again.
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