Sarasota Circuit Judge Thomas Krug was issued two citations by Sarasota Police following a same-direction sideswipe crash on Fruitvale Road on August 25th. According to police, Krug was cited for careless driving and for leaving the scene of a crash without giving the required information. He has not been criminally charged. The other driver told officers she felt the impact and believed Krug’s car moved from the middle of the lane before striking hers.
ABC7 obtained blurred body camera video of the other driver through a public records request and reached out to Krug, who has not responded. Photos of the vehicles show a long scrape along the woman’s driver’s side and damage to the front right fender of Krug’s car. Krug later told police he didn’t think he had been involved in a crash. Last week, he was reassigned from criminal court to family court, a move that has drawn attention given the timing.
The case touches on questions plenty of Suncoast drivers have asked at one point or another: what are your obligations after a crash, and does everyone on the road get held to the same standard? Leaving the scene without exchanging information is a serious issue in Florida, whether the damage looks minor or not. We’ll keep following this story as it develops. What do you think: should citations be the end of it, or does a case like this deserve a closer look? Let us know in the comments.
