'She wasn’t alone': Former paramedic tends to Sanford mother killed in crash

Lake Mary, Fla. - A Good Samaritan worked to try to save the Sanford mother who was hit and killed by a truck, and even though she died, the man is thankful she wasn't alone in her final moments.

Mike Donnelly lives down the street from where a fatal hit-and-run happened near North Country Club Boulevard and Old Lake Mary Road in Lake Mary. He heard loud sounds from a truck before finding Katrina Redden, 39, lying in the grass.

"I heard some tires squealing and it sounded like a vehicle doing donuts," said Donnelly. "I looked down the road and I saw the truck in the grass, driving recklessly, and as I ran down there the truck drove off."

Police say the person that took off was driving a white F-150. They say the suspect crashed into Redden and killed her. Police say witnesses heard arguing before she was hit.

The Good Samaritan is hoping to encourage others to help people in distress. Donnelly is a former paramedic and jumped into action when he saw her.

"Make sure to stay with her. Not knowing if the person that ran over her, or hit her, or assaulted her could come back," he said. "I think that it’s important that we have to step up when we see someone in need. Even if we’re afraid. That we should get out there to do something to help."

Lake Mary Police say they have recovered the vehicle involved in a deadly hit-and-run crash. Investigators say they have processed it for evidence in the case and it is currently impounded with the Florida Highway Patrol. A person of interest has also been identified.

Redden was a mother and leaves behind her four children. While Donnelly wishes he could have saved her, he's finding peace in the fact that she wasn't by herself in her final moments.

"Knowing that she wasn’t alone. I know that’s got to give some sort of comfort," he said. "I’m so sorry for their loss. I’m so sorry for their loss."

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