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Teacher accused in hit-and-run that left teen with broken back
A teacher at Winter Park High School is facing felony charges after authorities say he struck a 15-year-old boy riding a scooter and drove away, leaving the teen with serious injuries.
CASSELBERRY, Fla. - A Winter Park High School teacher has been arrested months after authorities say he struck a 15-year-old student with his car and drove away, leaving the teen seriously injured as he was heading to school.
Investigators say the crash happened early in the morning on Dec. 11 along State Road 436 in Casselberry.
What we know:
According to investigators, the incident occurred early in the morning on December 11, 2025. Landon Cates, who was 15 at the time and has since turned 16, was riding his electric scooter to school and was crossing near the intersection of Casselton Drive and State Road 436 when he was struck.
The driver, identified as 49-year-old Benjamin Hendricks Fottler, allegedly did not stop at the scene. Fottler is a teacher at Winter Park High School, the same school Cates was heading to that morning.
Benjamin Fottler
According to an arrest report, Fottler contacted police later that day, stating he thought he had struck a traffic sign while making a left turn. He reported that his child was in the back seat at the time and that he continued to daycare where he dropped his child off and then went to Winter Park High School.
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The impact
While Casselberry Police initially issued criminal citations for leaving the scene of a crash involving injuries, the State Attorney’s Office later identified this as an error.
Due to the severity of Cates’ injuries, which were classified as great bodily harm, authorities determined that an arrest warrant (known as a capias) should have been requested immediately. The teen is currently required to wear a back brace due to a fractured vertebrae and has not been able to return to school since the hit-and-run.
What they're saying:
Cates described the immediate aftermath of the crash, noting how the initial shock masked the pain of his injury.
"Originally, I didn’t know my back was broken. I thought I just ate it and was fine. That was the adrenaline talking," Cates said. "Right after it went away, I did not feel good. It hurt and it sucked bad."
Recalling the moment a bystander rushed to his aid, Cates shared what she told him about the driver's actions.
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"She was like, 'Oh my God, the dude that hit you just sped off like pedal to the metal' right when he hit me," Cates recalled.
The teen also expressed frustration over how the injury has limited his physical abilities and derailed his academic plans.
"I can’t like run. I can’t like bend or twist or do a lot of things," Cates explained. "If my back wasn’t broken, at my school I could have done this half thing where I spend half my time at school and then half my time at a trade school."
In a message to others on the road, Cates urged caution and awareness to prevent similar tragedies: "Keep your eyes out for reckless drivers for sure. There’s so many accidents, drunk driving, negligence, so much," he warned.
What we don't know:
Cates is still waiting to find out if he will require surgery on his back. While Benjamin Fottler was arrested on March 10, Orange County Public Schools stated that he is not on leave while the crash is under investigation because it happened while he was not on the job.
A GoFundMe has been established to assist Landon Cates with his ongoing medical expenses and recovery costs as he navigates life with a broken back. You can find the fundraiser here.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Casselberry Police Department Capias Request, an exclusive interview with Landon Cates, and a statement from Orange County Public Schools.