Barely a week ago, he was booked into the Flagler County jail again on a trespass-after-warning charge. The charge was dismissed.
Late Wednesday evening, Emanuel, 57, of Hymon Circle in Bunnell, was in the 300 block of East Booe Street in South Bunnell (he has lived at 406 South Booe previously) when he was struck by a passing car. “It appears that he was walking across the street when he was struck by the motorist,” Bunnell Police Chief Arthur Jones said.
The accident does not appear to have been malicious. “We handled it like it may have been a fatality and called in FHP,” Jones said of the Florida Highway Patrol, which is investigating the accident. Emanuel was airlifted in critical condition to Halifax Hospital. “He stabilized and was not expected to expire,” Jones said.
The driver of the car involved in the accident was cooperative at the scene, he said. The florida Highway Patrol identified the driver as Rafiel Emanuel, 21, of Palm Coast. He was driving a 1997 Ford Ranger, with one passenger, Antonio Watson, 21, of Palm Coast, going west on E. Booe, near South Pine St. There were at least two witnesses.
Emanuel has a disability: he uses sign language to communicate.
He’s been an inmate in the Florida prison system five previous times before his sentencing for battery, including a six-year stint for a sexual assault in 1977, when he was in Volusia County, and several shorter sentences.
The Geode says
I am willing to wager that the driver was doing the usual speeding down that stretch of road. This isn’t the first time this year that a person would have been struck by the careless shenanigans the Bunnell police force can’t seem to curb even though they routinely park their lazy duffs under a tree less than two blocks away. Then again, that stretch of road is ALWAYS blocked by idiots who feel entitled to walk down the middle of the street daring oncoming cars to get close to them. Again, the shiftless police department does nothing to curb this practice either. Either way, this will not be the last person run-down on that road.
jespo says
You have all the answers….so glad I read this…
Outsider says
Guess we don’t need an investigation at all…..
[email protected] says
Freddie had his problems but the fella doesn’t deserve to get ran over. Geez, get well soon, Freddie.
Jerry says
Freddie this is Jerry Roberts we were in Lake City prison together