Police: Teenager suffered broken ribs, concussion and other injuries in hit-and-run accident

SEBASTIAN — The driver of a Ford F-150 is due in court in September after she was involved in a hit-and-run crash last month that seriously injured a teenager walking her dog. Details have now emerged about the woman’s actions after the crash.

The driver who struck the 18-year-old and failed to stop had been searching online for lawyers in his area for several hours after the accident. The woman, 52-year-old Tina Marie Batres, had called three lawyers, searched police radios and crime news archives and even looked up flights, police reports show.

The June 12 hit-and-run crash occurred near Lance Street and Gilson Avenue, west of U.S. 1 in Sebastian. The teenager was left lying in the middle of the roadway and suffered serious injuries: a concussion, amnesia, cuts, scratches, abrasions on both legs and back, a broken rib and a bruised liver, police said.

According to reports, Batres was arrested by officers last Thursday on charges of failing to stop or stop after an accident that caused serious bodily injury.

Batres’ most recent arrest came a month after the accident. The woman was initially arrested on drug charges three days after the accident when police visited her property and found cocaine, fentanyl and drug paraphernalia in her purse, reports show.

“Thanks to the tireless efforts of our detectives and traffic police, the driver responsible for this horrific act was identified and arrested,” Sebastian police said in a statement. “Tina Batres was arrested (Friday) for hitting this young girl and leaving her lying on the road with serious injuries.”

As part of their investigation, Sebastian police reviewed surveillance footage, spoke to witnesses and examined Batres’ cellphone.

A passerby called 911 around 11 a.m. on June 12 and said she found a girl in the street who had been hit by a car. When police arrived, they saw that the girl was semi-conscious.

Indian River County EMS reportedly took the girl – who suffered severe head trauma – to Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne. The girl was released two days later.

The girl told police she was walking her dog on the south side of Gilson Avenue when she saw a vehicle turn from Dolores Street and head west. The truck was traveling at a high rate of speed on the wrong side of the road and struck the girl, reports show.

Police reviewed video footage from a neighbor, and reports show the driver of the gray and tan 2009 Ford F-150 truck was seen driving fast at the time police received the 911 call.

The truck was the only vehicle traveling in the area at the time of the crash, police said. Officials said the truck had a chrome grill, a chrome front bumper, a black spare tire on the front passenger side, a chrome tire on the rear passenger side and a missing passenger side mirror.

A local resident told police she believed the truck belonged to “Tina,” who lived near the crash scene. Flock Safety’s license plate reading camera system led officers to Batres’ mother, who said she had loaned Batres the truck months ago, reports show.

Police went to Batres’ house and saw the same truck seen on surveillance footage in the backyard. Batres gave officers permission to search the vehicle and used the key to open an eyeglass case.

In the case, police reportedly found drug paraphernalia, a white rock-like substance and brown powder that tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl.

Officers searched Batres’ phone and found that she had made several phone calls to attorneys between 3:49 p.m. and 4:58 p.m. on the day of the accident, records show. Police arrested Batres and took her to the county jail.