VERO BEACH — Police on Tuesday identified the passenger killed in a vehicle crash earlier this week as Crystina Atkinson, 26, of Vero Beach. Now, officers are asking anyone with information on the unidentified driver who left the site of the wreckage – where Atkinson’s body was entrapped – to come forward.
The driver will face charges including leaving the scene of an accident involving death, said Officer Kelsea Callahan, a spokesperson for the Vero Beach Police Department. Investigators said the driver struck two wooden power poles – snapping them in half – along with a tree.
Atkinson was the owner of the vehicle – a four-door Hyundai Elantra, Callahan said. A license plate reader captured the car traveling back and forth along 43rd Avenue moments before the collision.
Detectives were working to piece together the hours leading up to the crash, including Atkinson’s and the unknown driver’s whereabouts, along with any potential surveillance footage.
An assortment of flowers was placed at the crash site. Yellow crime scene tape could be seen wrapped around the damaged power poles.
The wreck happened about 10:15 p.m. The initial impact occurred in the 3800 block of 43rd Avenue in Vero Beach, Callahan said. Indian River County deputies found the Hyundai at 43rd Avenue and 41st Street.
Investigators combed the area to survey the damage. The heavy impact left the car mangled. Fire rescue used machinery to cut open the vehicle to free the woman’s body, said Steve Greer, Assistant Fire Chief with Indian River County Fire Rescue.
“We found her in the passenger seat belted in,” Greer said. Greer said the driver’s door to the Hyundai was open.
Capt. Joe Abollo, a spokesperson for the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, said deputies found the Hyundai wrapped around a tree. Abollo said the driver was not found in the vehicle.
“At first the driver was not located and assumed to have been ejected from the vehicle,” Abollo said. “The driver was believed to have possibly fled from the scene due to the severity (of damage) of the vehicle.”
The woman was taken to Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead, Greer said.
The crash shut down power to traffic lights and intersections, along with homes and businesses in the area. Florida Power & Light Co. crews were called to restore power to the area.
Those with information on the driver should call the Vero Beach Police Department at 772-978-4600. Callers can remain anonymous by contacting Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-800-273-TIPS or tcwatch.org.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
