A HIGH school teacher is accused of ramming a student off his scooter and fleeing the scene in a shock hit-and-run.
Landon Cates from Florida, who was 15 at the time, was left with serious injuries including a broken back.
Landon Cates was left with a broken back after being flung from his scooter in an alleged hit-and-runCredit: GoFundMe
Teacher Benjamin Fottler is accused of hitting the teenager and fleeing the sceneCredit: Casselberry Police Department
Florida teacher Benjamin Fottler allegedly hit the child and fled the scene “pedal to the metal” before later calling 911 and claiming he thought he hit a road sign.
The Winter Park High School tutor was arrested on March 10 for the incident that took place on December 11, 2025.
The 49-year-old has since been charged with a hit-and-run felony offense which can lead to up to five years in jail and a $5,000 fine, as well as probation.
A second-degree felony is issued if the hit and run caused serious bodily injury.
A shocked bystander who saw the incident told the boy that the driver of the vehicle “just sped off like pedal to the metal,” Cates recalled while speaking to Fox 35.
“I can’t like run. I can’t like bend or twist or do a lot of things. If my back wasn’t broken, I could have done this thing where I spend half my time at school and then half my time at a trade school,” he said of the impact it has had on his life.
Hours after the incident, Fottler called cops saying he didn’t know he had hit someone, and thought it was a traffic sign while making a left turn, police have said.
“I hit, I thought, a sign in the median that damaged my rearview passenger mirror — I’m sorry, driver-side mirror,” Fottler allegedly said in audio obtained by WFTV.
“My wife just got home from work; she travels the same way that I do … she left maybe 20 minutes after me and said that when she was making that turn, there was an ambulance there and somebody had gotten hit.”
The teacher had not been working at the time and was on his way to drop off his child at daycare.
Fottler allegedly told cops he thought he had hit a traffic sign and did not stop to check the damageCredit: GoFundMe
Cates’ family are enduring “one of the toughest times of our lives,” they wrote in a GoFundMe page set up to help with medical expenses after the now 16-year-old was left with fractured vertebrae.
“Since the accident, our days have been filled with doctor visits, consultations with specialists, and now, the possibility of surgery,” his mother wrote.
“The emotional toll has been heavy, but the financial strain is becoming overwhelming.”
An attached photo shows Cates sitting on a hospital bed with a back brace.
“Originally, I didn’t know my back was broken,” he told Fox.
“I thought I was fine. That was the adrenaline talking. Right after it went away, I did not feel good. It hurt and it sucked bad.”
He has now warned others to be aware of “reckless drivers.”
Fottler has since been released from jail on a $20,000 bond and Orange County Public Schools said he is not on leave while the incident continues to be investigated.
Cates has now warned others to be alert to ‘reckless drivers’ as his family seek donations to help with mounting medical billsCredit: Google 
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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