JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The family of a 42-year-old woman hit by a tractor-trailer and killed while walking her dog Friday morning wants the public's help in finding the driver of the big rig.
A law firm retained by Kelly Black's family announced Tuesday morning that Crime Stoppers is offering a $3,000 reward for information leading to the driver's identity.
Black was in a parking lot of a Kangaroo gas station at the intersection of Beaver Street and North Chaffee Road when she was struck just before 7 a.m. Friday, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Attorney Daniel Iracki said his firm's investigation showed that the driver pulled Black (pictured below) out of her shoes in the back of the gas station and then continued south on Chaffee Road, dragging her about 400 feet and leaving tire marks from the parking lot through the intersection.
Police have not been able to find the tractor-trailer or its driver. JSO said there is no indication that the driver knew he struck someone.
"Based upon our investigation, we think it's more likely that the driver of the tractor-trailer would at least know that something was going on with his tractor-trailer to leave 400 feet of drag," Iracki said.
Troy Bostick, Black's brother, said his sister was a good person who loved animals and people. He said it's painful to know his sister was left in the street after being struck by the semi.
"It's very disturbing and troubling that anything of this nature would happen," Bostick said. "This is a horrific incident. It's very disturbing."
No witnesses have come forward, but traffic homicide detectives are going over surveillance video from the area to try to identify the vehicle. Police said prior to the crash, another a tractor-trailer was observed stopping and may have talked to the victim.
Iracki said the gas station has a significant number of cameras and his firm anticipates learning soon would the semi looked like. He said JSO detectives are also pulling the fuel tickets for that time period to try to find a paper trail of what drivers were at the station at that time.
In the meantime, Black's family is pleading for the driver or any witnesses to come forward.
"We need your help. We need the people of Jacksonville's help to get answers," Iracki said. "We want people to think if it was their daughter, if it was their sister, how would they feel?"
Iracki asked that anyone who was at the gas station or at the intersection of Beaver Street and Chaffee Road between 5:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. Friday come forward. His law firm is also checking surveillance footage from businesses along Chaffee Road on the path the semi took.
Black's family said she lived nearby and would often walk her dog, Paco, in the area.
The dog stayed at the scene Friday as rescue personnel arrived and police began their investigation.
"He laid in the roadway for several hours. I don't know how many. Even when they were doing the scene investigation, he was still in the road until they moved him out physically," Bostick said. "I don't know too many animals that would do that."
Bostick said Black worked as a vet technician and took Paco in as a rescue when he was about 10 months old.
"Paco was a recovered animal from Hurricane Katrina," Bostick said. "A driver brought him to her from that storm, because he couldn't take care of him, so she took him in. ... That dog just took to her like no tomorrow."
Bostick said Black's mother is taking care of Paco but that the dog is depressed and has to be hand fed because he won't eat on his own.
Anyone with information about the vehicle that struck Black is asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS. Witnesses can also contact the Bosticks' lawyers at 904-356-6071.