Police: Palm Bay mayor stops, helps crash victim

Palm Bay Mayor William Capote has been credited with helping a teen who was badly injured after being hit and dragged by a Jeep in a Monday night crash.

The injured 16-year-old, who suffered a broken femur and ankles, remains in critical condition at Holmes Regional Medical Center with numerous bruises and road-rash burns.

"(The mayor) basically drove up on the crash, got out and rendered aid," said Yvonne Martinez, spokeswoman for the Palm Bay Police Department. "He also flagged down a vehicle and stopped it just short of hitting the victim."

The crash happened about 8 p.m. as the teen was riding a motor scooter with no lights and no tag west on Lexington Street in the northeast section of the city. Police said the teen, apparently traveling with groceries, then tried to cross Emerson Drive when he was struck by a Jeep and dragged for at least 20 feet along the asphalt before stopping in the middle of the road.

Within moments, Capote and his wife, fresh from dinner at a local restaurant, spotted what he thought was debris and possibly a trash bag strewn across the road ahead.

"As we got closer, my wife screamed, 'It's a body!" said Capote, adding that the road wasn't on his usual route home.

"I got out of the car and went up to him. At first I thought it was a hit-and-run, but then I heard a voice off to my left saying, 'I hit him. … He came out of nowhere.' I looked down and it looked as if the boy had expired. He was a tiny boy. … He was in a fetal position with a broken femur and unconscious," Capote said.

Capote then called 9-1-1 to get help. The driver of the Jeep, who was in his 20s, was also on the phone crying, the mayor said.

"At one point, I could see that there was a car coming and it was coming fast. … I just started yelling, 'stop,' 'stop,' and the car came right up to the body. There was an older couple in the car and I guess they didn't see the boy," Capote said.

The teen, who began coughing before paramedics arrived, was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center for treatment. No charges were filed in the crash, but the case remains under investigation by Palm Bay police.

Capote, 52, said he was only doing what anyone would do in the situation, but word quickly spread about his involvement.

"Being a father myself, I understand. That's why I went to the hospital to meet with the boy's mother," Capote said. "I'm just numb."

Contact Gallop at 321-242-3642, jdgallop@floridatoday.com or on Twitter @JDGallop