911 calls reveal what happened after Jacksonville father was struck by car, left on side of road

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A local family is still searching for answers three months after their loved one was hit by a car and left on the side of the road for nearly 12 hours.

Action News Jax has been following this investigation for the last two months.

The family of 59-year-old Darryl Lindsey reached out to us when they felt that nobody was doing anything after their father and grandfather was hit and killed by a car on Friday, August 27.

We’ve been pressing the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol for answers and for weeks, we’ve been asking for the audio of original 911 call made the night Lindsey was hit on Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway near Wilson Street.

After involving our attorneys, we finally received the recording of two calls made by the driver.

PHOTOS: Family fights for 911 calls made after Jacksonville father fatally struck by car

In the first call, the man said he believes he hit something. He sounds very frazzled but clearly said that his car was banged up and had blood on it.

We’ve been pressing JSO, asking why no one was sent out to the scene the night Lindsey was hit.

Action News Jax’s Meghan Moriarty has been requesting the 911 calls for weeks and was denied twice until we finally received the calls.

To date, there have been no arrests, no tickets issued and for the Lindsey family, no closure.

Three months after Lindsey was hit by a Dodge Challenger and left on the side of the road for nearly 12 hours, Action News Jax has obtained two 911 calls the car’s driver made to report the incident and alert JSO.

Here is a partial transcript from the first call:

Dispatch: Jacksonville 911. What’s the location of your emergency?

Caller: Well, I’m actually at home. But I think, I was driving and I don’t know if I hit a deer or something, but my car is tore up really, really bad and I just want to report it. But I don’t know what I hit.

The driver suggests it could have been an animal that was hit, but also expressed uncertainty, yet the JSO dispatcher does not inquire whether it might have been a person.

LISTEN TO THE FULL FIRST CALL BELOW:

Full audio: First 911 call made by driver who fatally struck Jacksonville grandfather In the first call, the man said he believes he hit something. He sounds very frazzled but clearly said that his car was banged up and had blood and hair on it.

Later in the first call, this is what the driver says:

Caller: I’m so shaken up. I didn’t see anything or anybody in the middle of the street, but…

Dispatch: Do you see like any blood or fur on your car to suggest that it was an animal?

Caller: I don’t know. I see fur and blood so I’m thinking it may have been an animal.

JSO never responded to the crash scene that night, and the driver made the 911 call only after he was home. He made another 911 call the next day.

LISTEN TO THE SECOND 911 CALL BELOW:

Audio: Second 911 call made by driver who fatally struck Jacksonville grandfather In the second call, the driver can be heard saying that he called 911 the night before.

The next morning, around 8:30 a.m., a truck driver called 911, saying he spotted a body on the roadside. It was Lindsey.

Dispatch: Jacksonville 911, what’s the address of your emergency?

Caller: Uh ma’am, I found a dead body. It’s out here at Wilson and Martin Luther King.

JFRD and FHP were dispatched and Lindsey was pronounced dead on the scene.

Lindsey’s family said they were devastated by the loss and asked why no one was sent to the scene immediately.

“He loved his kids dearly. We were his first priority. Always his first priority ... we talked to him every day, now we can’t,” daughter April Lindsey said.

A spokesperson with JSO said there is an active administrative investigation into the handling of that original 911 call.

Moriarty also played the phone call for the family’s close friend, Crystal Tyler.

“This is wrong on every level,” she said.

Tyler served as the family’s spokesperson on Tuesday because many of Lindsey’s children were working.

“We’ve been waiting on the release of the 911 call this entire time,” Tyler said. “This is my first time hearing it and I have a ton of questions for the 911 operator as well as the driver.”

Tyler said she wants justice for Lindsey and closure for the family.

“There was a total disconnect with the fact that we’re talking about a human life that was taken,” Tyler said. " ... They have said nothing to us, nothing to the family. This is wrong.”

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Darryl Lindsey A local family is still searching for answers three months after their loved one was hit by a car and left on the side of the road for nearly 12 hours.

EXCLUSIVE: 911 calls released in crash that killed Jacksonville grandfather

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