Driver accused of fleeing Coral Springs crash that killed woman now arrested

A driver got into a crash that left a woman dead in Coral Springs, then he left his car at the scene and walked away, police said.

The accused hit-and-run driver has been identified as 48-year-old Russell Baldwin, of Lauderhill. Baldwin was arrested Jan. 15 and has since pleaded not guilty to leaving the scene of a crash involving a death, leaving the scene of a crash involving injury and leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, Broward court records show.

His attorney declined to comment on the case to the Coral Springs News on Jan. 21.

Baldwin was driving a Chevrolet Impala down West Sample Road at around 5 a.m. on Oct. 10 when he collided with a Toyota Corolla that was trying to turn left from Sample Road onto Woodside Drive, the Coral Springs Police Department wrote in a probable cause affidavit.

It’s unclear who had the right of way at the intersection, which has a stoplight.

The front of Baldwin’s car hit the passenger side of the Corolla, sending it veering onto the sidewalk, according to police.

Video from the scene shows the driver of the Impala get out of the car and start walking away without checking on the occupants of the other car, the affidavit says. Police said they got an automatic call from Baldwin’s phone alerting them to a crash, but when they got there, he was gone.

A female passenger of the Corolla was rushed to a hospital as a trauma alert, and she died two days later after undergoing emergency surgery. The driver was also injured, according to documents.

The Impala wasn’t registered in Baldwin’s name, but investigators said they swabbed blood from the airbag and other parts of the car that came up as a match for Baldwin’s DNA submitted via Lauderhill police from a previous case.

The Coconut Creek Police Department served the warrant and arrested him, then he posted bond Jan. 20, records show.