Driver charged with Broward hit-and-run that hospitalized a mother, father and child
A 45-year-old Deerfield Beach man has been arrested in hit-and-run crash that left a couple and their toddler seriously injured in Wednesday’s first hours, deputies said.
Eric Meyer was booked into Broward County Main Jail Wednesday and remains there as of Thursday night on five counts of failure to stop/remain at the scene of a crash with serious bodily injuries, six counts of reckless driving causing serious bodily injuries and one count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. His bond is $115,300.
This arrest caused the revocation of Meyer’s bond from a 2019 arrest on a charge of aggravated battery with great bodily harm. That case remains in progress.
Smashing the trunk all the way into the back seat
Deputies say a 37-year-old woman in a 2016 Toyota Camry with two passengers, a 30-year-old man and their 2-year-old son, was driving east on Southwest 10th Street around 1 a.m. Wednesday. The arrest affidavit says a witness saw Meyer zoom up behind the Camry, rear end it with his 2013 Jeep Wrangler, continue to Southeast First Way, then turn south.
The crash left the woman’s car mangled near the Domani Motor Cars dealership and train tracks. Deputies went to the intersection after receiving reports that a car was struck by a train. The damage to the Camry might’ve accounted for those reports.
“The impact resulted in the trunk being pushed forward into the back seat of the vehicle,” the arrest affidavit says.
Between the damage and the distance the Toyota was batted by the other vehicle, investigators quickly theorized whoever rear-ended the Camry was speeding.
The woman and her passengers were taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, deputies said. The sheriff’s office is withholding their names, citing Marsy’s law.
Broward Fire Rescue described the boy’s condition as “stable” Wednesday morning.
Finding Eric Meyer
The witness at the crash recalled “skull stickers” on the Jeep Wrangler. Detectives figured they’d found the Jeep when they got to the Beach Villas of Deerfield. Meyer, the arrest report says, while acknowledging detectives’ presence wouldn’t come out to talk to them.
Meanwhile, a tip came in via Crime Stoppers of Broward County that Meyer was the hit-and-run driver and he drove a Jeep Wrangler with numerous stickers.
Upon finding out Meyer was out on bond and Lilas Ayandeh was the attorney of record in the battery case, a BSO sergeant reached out to Ayandeh. She talked to Meyer, who came out and turned himself over to detectives.
The report says while being read his Miranda rights (“You have the right to remain silent,” etc.), Meyer “spontaneously asked about the status of the victims.”
This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 7:18 AM.
