PANAMA CITY — Injuries to two children whose mother was killed Wednesday night in a hit and run car crash are no longer life-threatening, according to family members.
However, the kids remain in critical condition.
Jenifer L. Whitehead, 33, of Panama City, was killed Wednesday at about 8:30 p.m. when a 1993 Chevy 1500 struck her while she and the children were walking south in the grass on the west shoulder of U.S. 231, according to Florida Highway Patrol reports.
Witnesses told FHP the truck had been swerving back and forth in its lane before veering into the grass. It then struck the pedestrians and fled the scene, leaving Whitehead and her children in a ditch, officers reported.
FHP later arrested 28-year-old Patrick Andrew Henninger, of Panama City, in connection with the fatal crash and charged him with leaving the scene of a crash with death. He was found at a residence on Copenhagen Drive in the Bayou George area and arrested at 5:40 a.m. Thursday.
FHP also said alcohol was a factor in the crash. Henninger has not been charged with an alcohol-related offense. However, FHP said their investigation is ongoing.