Deputies assigned to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) continue to investigate a hit-and-run crash in Gulfport that left two people critically injured, and have now arrested a suspect in the case.
On November 28, 2025, at about 7:21 p.m., multiple 911 callers reported two individuals lying in the roadway at Gulfport Boulevard and Luana Lane South. Gulfport Police and Gulfport Fire Rescue located Gulfport residents, Michael Lynch, 61, and Kristen Lynch, 42, injured in the roadway next to an electric scooter.
Investigators determined the victims had been traveling eastbound on Gulfport Boulevard in the curb lane on an electric scooter when they were struck from behind by a vehicle that continued eastbound without stopping.
Through investigative efforts, deputies identified the suspect vehicle as a red 1997 Ford Econoline van registered to a Gulfport resident, 77-year-old Eugenijus Sviderskas. According to investigators, Sviderskas admitted to driving the van, stated he heard a loud thud, and did not stop.
Sviderskas was arrested and charged with two counts of Leaving the Scene of a Crash Involving Serious Bodily Injury and one count of Tampering with Physical Evidence. A booking photo was not available at the time of release.
The vehicle involved was initially described as an older SUV with heavy front-end damage, and investigators noted that the rear driver’s-side window appeared triangular. Deputies later confirmed it to be the Ford Econoline van.
Both victims remain hospitalized. Kristen Lynch is in stable condition, and Michael Lynch is in critical but stable condition.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact Deputy J. Toro at [email protected] or 727-582-6200. The investigation remains active.