The Nurse Who Stopped

Porchia Hardy, a registered nurse, was passing by with her husband. She told reporters she put her car in park, had her husband turn on the hazard lights, and ran to Krauss. She stayed for about eight minutes until paramedics arrived. “I want them to know that she wasn’t alone and there were people there that cared for her,” Hardy said. She hopes the crash reminds drivers and pedestrians to watch out for each other on busy roads.

Who Hazel Krauss Was

UF officials confirmed Krauss was a freshman in the Warrington College of Business and was originally from Chicago. She graduated this year from Saint Ignatius College Prep, where she played volleyball, bowled, led Kairos retreats, and volunteered with Opportunity Knocks, which supports people with special needs. The school remembered her as a daughter, sister, niece, and granddaughter who “reflected the very best” of its graduates. Fellow student Sabrina Campanella said the crash made her think “that could be any one of us.”

Police say the investigation is ongoing. Reports so far don’t say whether Krauss was in a crosswalk, how well the road was lit, or whether either driver was impaired, and no charges have been announced.

Why Night Crossings Are So Risky

The Governors Highway Safety Association’s latest report says about 76.5% of 2024 pedestrian deaths with known lighting conditions happened after dark. Florida was projected to record 605 pedestrian deaths in 2025, the third most in the nation behind California and Texas.

What This Could Mean Legally

Crashes where a driver swerves to avoid another vehicle raise a question beyond the driver who hit the pedestrian: why did the swerve happen? Florida recognizes a “sudden emergency” defense for drivers who react to a hazard they didn’t create, so investigators will look at the other driver’s role. Fault can be shared among both drivers and, in an insurer’s argument, the pedestrian. Under Florida’s 2023 tort reform, a plaintiff found more than 50% at fault generally can’t recover in a negligence case.

In a wrongful death case, Florida generally allows two years to file. The state’s wrongful death law treats children under 25 as “minor children,” which affects what a parent may recover for the loss of a child.

Our condolences go out to Hazel Krauss’s family, friends, and the communities at UF and Saint Ignatius. It meant something that she had someone with her.

If a loved one was struck as a pedestrian, the independent attorneys we connect you with can help you understand who may be responsible and what options your family has.

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