Counting 'em Down: For better or for worse, this is the Headline Surfer countdown of 2021's Top 100 biggest news stories of Central Florida along the tourism-driven stretch of Interstate 4 (Orlando Attractions and east to I-95 & the World's Most Famous Beach in Daytona). Each recap segment is posted with its own headline, culminating with the unveiling of No. 1.
Photos for Headline Surfer / ABOVE: Paige Berman was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with injuries after hitting Sheriff Mike Chitwood on his bicycle on March 19, 2021. A Waste Pro driver came to Chitwood's aid.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
PORT ORANGE, Fla. -- A young driver accused of hitting Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood while he was riding his bike in Port Orange back in March 2021, told deputies she was shopping on Amazon on her phone when the crash occurred, according to the sheriff himself in interviews with several Orlando TV news camera crews.
At 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 18, Chitwood was struck by a car while he rode his bike in the 1600 block of Town West Boulevard in Port Orange.
The driver, Paige Bergman, 20, was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury.
The collision was recorded on video by a Waste Pro truck whose driver, Allan Ramos, tended to the sheriff and called 9-1-1. His dash-cam video led police to the driver, 20-year-old Paige Bergman.
Port Orange cops said Bergman fled the scene. The vehicle was described as a 2004 to 2006 maroon Hyundai Sonata, with the right-side mirror missing as a result of the crash.
Chitwood was taken to Halifax Health Hospital in Daytona Beach for his injuries: A broken fibula, 10 stitches to his back, and some road rash.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office assisted Port Orange police by locating the vehicle in the 3000 block of Sardinia Terrace, Deltona, where Bergman was arrested.
Deputies apprehended Bergman at her home in Deltona where she could be heard on police body camera video, at first, allegedly denying any knowledge of hitting a person.
"An accident? I hit a mailbox," Bergman said in the footage.
Chitwood's reaction in media interviews? "She said she hit a mailbox. Now you were out there, there's not a mailbox within a quarter of a mile of that road. I've been called a lot of things and mailbox isn't one of them."
The sheriff added from his hospital bed: "Just pull over. By fleeing and lying you made things matters so much worse for you."
Port Orange cops said Bergman later admitted she was using her phone to shop at Amazon at the time of the crash.
This is the second time that Chitwood had been hit by a vehicle while cycling, but this time he was wearing a helmet. Back in September 2017, 2017, the Sheriff was clipped by a motorist in a pick-up towing a boat in Pone Inlet.
Chitwood suffered two fractured vertebrae, a broken left hand, and an ACL tear in his right knee. He was not wearing a helmet, Ponce Inlet police said.
Thank you all again for your messages and kind words. I have some road rash, a few stitches on the gash from the passenger side mirror and a fractured fibula that the doctors hope will heal on its own. I consider myself lucky to be back on my feet today. pic.twitter.com/phspkf9LO3
— Mike Chitwood (@SheriffChitwood) March 19, 2021
Update on the case against the young driver:
Paige Bergman pleaded no contest in court on Jan. 21, 2022, to leaving the scene of a crash with injuries and was sentenced to probation. Adjudication of guilt was withheld. A second charge of careless driving was dismissed.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.