CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – Family and loved ones gathered Tuesday night to honor the life of a woman who was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Clay County.
They held a vigil for Cassidy Mongeon, 23, outside the Clay County Courthouse. She was hospitalized and died from her injuries after the crash on April 10, which her family said happened while she was on her way home from work around midnight.
“She was compassionate and she was very strong and she stood up for everything that she believed in,” said Mongeon’s mother, Christina.
Hours after the crash on County Road 218 and Old Padgett Road, the Florida Highway Patrol said, Johnathan Davis, 38, surrendered to authorities.
The other driver, who struck Mongeon head-on, left the scene and hid in the woods overnight, according to investigators.
Mongeon’s parents live in Tallahassee and rushed to the hospital where they watched as she took her last breath.
“No parent, no loved one should have to see someone they love in that condition. And to know that the person that hit her, hit her and left her, did not check on her, just walked away. It kills me,” Mongeon’s mother said.
Christina Mongeon explained that her daughter’s death was a frightening flashback, as she survived a hit-and-run crash years ago, during which her daughter came to her rescue.
“She went to the hospital with me and was there with me the whole time,” she said. “One of the hardest parts about this is there was nothing I could do to help her.”
Cassidy Mongeon’s mother and father say they will do whatever they can to make sure their daughter gets justice.
Davis is in jail on a $75,000 bond. Court documents show he’s had dozens of traffic citations dating back to 2001, including seven for driving without a license, three for red light violations, two for speeding and one each for failure to yield and making an improper lane change.
Davis’ attorney filed a bond reduction motion, but the hearing that was set for Wednesday morning was postponed until May.