Man accused of DUI hits crossing guards, knocks 82-year-old onto hood, Florida cops say

A man in Florida is accused of being under the influence when he drove into two school crossing guards standing in a median, injuring both, deputies and state troopers said.

Robert Noack, 54, borrowed a tan Ford Focus from another person Feb. 14 to go visit a friend in Spring Hill when he was hit by another vehicle in an intersection, according to an arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol.

Noack was “T-boned,” which caused the Focus to face the wrong direction on the road, troopers said. Rather than getting out of the car to speak with the other driver, Noack continued to drive down the wrong side of the road, according to the report.

He approached two school crossing guards standing in the median wearing orange protective hats and vests, troopers said.

Noack drove into the guards, identified as 82-year-old Don Jenkins and 52-year-old Nicholas Gallicchio, according to state troopers.

Jenkins rolled up onto the hood and windshield and onto the ground, hitting his head on the concrete, troopers said. He was knocked unconscious.

Gallicchio was hit with the side of Noack’s car and rolled down the side of the vehicle before he was knocked to the ground, according to the report.

Gallicchio, from Spring Hill, sustained minor injuries, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 15 release, but Jenkins, from Weeki Wachee, was taken to a trauma center with serious injuries.

Noack again did not stop after the crash, according to the arrest report. He sped down the road before making a sharp turn, troopers said.

As he was driving away, Noack’s car hit a drainage cover, damaging the bottom of the vehicle, troopers said.

“As a result of striking the drainage cover, the sedan became inoperable a few blocks south of the crash site,” deputies said. “The driver … then fled on foot.”

The vehicle was found 8 miles from the crash sites, troopers said, and Noack was found walking on a nearby road.

He told troopers he had been a passenger in the car but was not driving, according to arrest documents.

He said his friend, whom he only identified as “Chris,” was driving, according to the report. He told officials he was in a seat lowered all the way down, which was why no one had seen him in the vehicle.

This contradicted what witnesses saw, and the seats in the Focus were all raised, troopers said. Noack was searched and taken into custody.

A trooper found an Oxycodone pill in his pocket, and he was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation and sobriety testing, according to the report.

Noack was charged with misdemeanor hit-and-run connected to the vehicle crash, felony hit-and-run connected to the crossing guard crash and driving under the influence.

Spring Hill is about 50 miles north of Tampa.