Florida Highway Patrol says there's an alarming spike in hit-and-run crashes

BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) – Florida troopers say they’ve seen a shocking rise in hit-and-run crashes. In 2014 the Florida Highway Patrol reported 84,000 such accidents. In 2015, there were more than 92,000 reported hit-and-run crashes.

So troopers are using a hit-and-run awareness week to get the message out. They want drivers to understand once you speed off, you are likely to face serious charges.RELATED: Cops search for woman suspected in deadly hit-and-run on Howard Frankland

“As soon as you decide that you’re going to flee the scene, you’ve turned yourself into a criminal,” Trooper Kenn Watson with the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The damage is long-lasting. Just ask Mark Abbacchi.

Abbacchi was hit by a driver while on the interstate. “I was thrown into the median. I opened my eyes, didn’t have any time other than that to look up. I looked at him, and he was laughing at me driving away,” he said.

Now at just 24 years old, Abbacchi’s relegated to a back brace and constant pain. The driver “stole a big part of my life. He stole my dignity. He stole my pride, and everything I do every day is kind of impacted,” he said.

Jim Sanders has a never-ending pain of a different kind. While on a walk, he watched his wife Joyce die when she was hit by a driver who fled the scene. “I heard a car coming up behind us and I looked and before I could even say anything, he had veered over into the bike lane and hit my wife. I saw her flying through the air like a rag doll and land face down in the grass,” Sanders said.

He’s now on depression medication and his life has never been the same. “I still have that image in my mind. I’ll never get that out of my mind,” Sanders said.

If you leave a crash with an injury, you’ll face up to fiv e years in prison. If you flee from a deadly crash, you could face up to 30 years behind bars.

Troopers say if you do hit someone, regardless of the circumstances, stop. You might save a life.

Remain at the scene, help the injured and call 911. Officials say you should also get the names and addresses of all passengers and witnesses. Doing this could prevent you from facing serious legal consequences.

If you spot a hit-and-run driver, call 911 or call the Florida Highway Patrol.