TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Tampa Bay area family is heartbroken after their father, Manuel Patino was killed by a hit and run driver on Sunday afternoon.

“I was going crazy, I was screaming for help, I was the only one there  my brothers weren’t there, I was calling all of them, I was calling my girlfriend, I had no clue I was just lost, I was just out of it when they told me my dad was gone,” said Edson Patino, the victim’s son.

Manuel Patino was killed after a reckless driver hit his truck on  Highway 301, causing it to flip.

“It hurt us all to see my dad go away just because someone wasn’t driving like they should be,” said Patino.

Manuel Patino’s wife Carmen was also in the truck along with two of their young grandchildren.

The grandkids are expected to be okay but Carmen’s in critical condition and doesn’t know her husband died.

“We don’t know how we are going to tell my mom. It is going to be really hard,” said Patino.

The family is desperate to find the driver who is responsible.

“I would tell him to turn himself in. Somebody like that shouldn’t be out free doing something. He should pay for what he did. He left my mom alone,” said Patino.

Patino leaves behind his wife, six kids and 13 grandkids.

“If anyone knows anything of him, saw anything, just let the authorities know please. This really hurt my family a lot. It damaged my family,” said Patino.

Sergeant Steve Gaskins says Leeroy Middleton III of Archer, Florida is a person of interest. If you know his whereabouts, call police.

In 2017 in Florida, there were 98,225 hit and run crashes. 177 of those were fatal. The month of February is Florida Highway Patrol’s hit and run awareness month. Troopers remind all drivers to stay at the scene of a crash and call for help.

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