SWFL.io - Local NewsA Lehigh Acres family is devastated after its 3-year-old white Maltipoo dog, Teddy, was struck and killed by a truck on McArthur Avenue near East Fifth Street Friday night, with the incident captured on a doorbell camera.
Kathy Fellows, the dog's owner, expressed her frustration with reckless driving in the area, especially after the truck involved in the incident slowed down briefly and then drove away without stopping.
“All we ask is for them to say, sorry,” Fellows said. “Taking off just makes it a thousand times worse. Like, what if that was my kid and you just hit them and took off?”
Fellows said her daughter is heartbroken over the loss of Teddy.
“My 11-year-old is just devastated that her best friend, my little daughter’s best friend, is gone. And we’ll never get them back,” Fellows said.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office said it encourages all dog owners to leash their dogs if they’re not confined within a fence, cage or home, so tragic instances like these don’t occur.
Deputies also noted that hit-and-run incidents like this can still be reported.
Fellows believes the tragedy could have been avoided if drivers were more attentive.
“They go probably 60 to literally 100 miles an hour. You can hear inside the house. That’s how bad it is!” Fellows said.
Fellows also said this is not the first incident on their street and hopes for changes to address what she says is a speeding problem.
“More police presence or, you know, getting the county involved to add multiple speed bumps down the street. Stop the speeding. It’s out of hand,” Fellows said.
Other neighbors, speaking off-camera, shared similar concerns, saying reckless driving has been an ongoing issue in the area and urging drivers to slow down.
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