The father of a Hastings teen who was badly injured in a hit and run crash in January as he waited for a school bus is suing the driver charged with crashing into him, The Citizen has learned.
Maslin Mooney was found lying on the side of the road after police say Andrew Robinson struck the boy in an early morning collision and left the scene.
A passing motorist saw Mooney motionless while driving past the scene and called 911. He had remained there for 40 minutes before being noticed.
After a probe, St. Johns County Sheriff’s deputies took Robinson into custody and charged him with leaving the scene of an accident with serious injury, a felony.
That case is pending.
Mooney’s father, Thomas Mooney, filed a civil suit against Robinson earlier this month seeking damages for negligence.
His attorney, Nicholas Iannucci of Jacksonville, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mooney suffered serious injuries in the crash — including a brain bleed and broken bones.The suit states that he is still suffering impairments as a result of the accident.
“The losses are either permanent or continuing and Plaintiff will suffer the losses in the future,” the suit states.
According to police, Robinson did not call for help or report the Jan. 10 incident.
He instead told his girlfriend via text that he thought he had hit a deer and saw “no blood.” Despite knowing he hit something, he failed to return to the scene or alert authorities. It wasn’t until nearly 13 hours later that a family friend called police on his behalf.
When deputies reached Robinson by phone, he repeated his claim about hitting a deer and gave the location of his 2017 Dodge Ram, which was found behind an RV in Green Cove Springs.
Investigators noted that the vehicle had damage consistent with the crash. He agreed to meet with police but declined to speak without an attorney.
Location data from Robinson’s phone showed he didn’t stop and check the area as he had claimed. His account of hitting something in the middle of the road didn’t match physical evidence, which indicated Mooney was struck while standing off to the side of the road.
A co-worker told police Robinson appeared distraught and emotional after seeing news reports, but still waited hours before any report was made.
