Fran Haasch Motorcycle Injury Attorney

Woman, 85, dies after Aug. 5 crash

2011-09-07T14:07:00.000-07:00

Woman, 85, dies after

Aug. 5 crash

By JULIUS WHIGHAM II

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

A suburban Boca Raton

woman died Saturday

morning after being hit by

a car earlier this month,

the Palm Beach County

Sheriff's Office said.

Miriam ]. Link, 85, died

at Jackson Memorial Hospital

in Miami. She was

s truck Aug. 5 in the 22000

block of Camino Del Mar.

According to a sheriffs

crash report, Link was

waiting at a crosswalk to

be picked up by her caretaker,

who was driving

Link's vehicle. Delrose

M. Reynolds, 57, of Coral

Springs, backed the 2000

Lexus out of a parking

spot to get closer to Link.

But Reynolds hit the accelerator

thinking it was

the brake, the report said.

She struck Link, knocking

her to the ground.

Palm Beach Post

Palm Beach County

August 31, 2011

Gibsonton teen dies in crash

2011-08-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

A Gibsonton man died early Saturday after his car hit a ditch and flipped over in
Riverview, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said. Dusty Lee Maskrey,19, was
headed south on Riverview Drive at 2:23 am when he missed a curve, hit a ditch
and struck a utility pole near Van Fleet Road, investigators said. Maskrey of Isabel
Avenue was alone in the 1993 Ford Mustang convertible. He died at the scene, deputies said.
St Petersburg Times
Pinellas County

New Port Richey motorcyclist dies in crash

2011-08-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

A 36- year-old motorcyclist was killed after he veered off Cecilia Drive and crashed Friday afternoon, police said. Luis R. Torres of New Port Richey was westbound near
Greenwood Street when, for an unknown reason, his 2008 Suzuki GSXR-1000 went off the
road and crashed into a parked car at about 4:20 p.m., according to New Port Richey police. Torres, who appeared to have been speeding, was thrown from the bike, police said. He was pronounced dead at Bayfront Medical Center, police said.
St Petersburg Times
Pinellas County

Child killed at bus stop

2011-08-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

A 10-year-old boy died Tuesday morning after he was struck by a pickup truck at a Clermont bus stop that angry parents and neighbors say has been dangerous for years.
"It was an accident waiting to happen and something needs to be done to make this bus stop, and probably many others, safer for the kids," neighborhood resident
Marlena De Renzo said. "It's so horrible that it takes somebody to die (to get) some attention to it.” Lake County School District spokesman Chris Patton said the district is reviewing the specifics of the accident and the bus stop. He had not heard of specific complaints about the bus stop. "The safety of students at bus stops is something we take very seriously," Patton said. The district tries its best
to teach students, parents, bus drivers and others about bus stop safety. "The missing part of this equation is motorists," Patton said. The Florida Highway Patrol said Anthony Moore was struck shortly before 8 a.m. on the corner of Lake Minneola Shores Road and Oklahoma Street, reportedly within sight of his home. The Minneola Elementary School student was taken to South Lake Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Neighbors and family members at the scene of the accident Tuesday morning said the bus had its red lights flashing when the pickup truck struck Anthony. The driver, Mario Albert Saucedo, 39, of Clermont, was taken into custody for driving without a license, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Other charges may be pending. Saucedo was wearing his seatbelt and was not impaired at the time of the accident, the FHP said. Lake County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jim Vachon said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials Tuesday put a detaining order on Saucedo. Parents and neighbors said they have been complaining about the bus stop for years. The boy’s mother, Susie Moore, said it was scary when she and her sister used it themselves as Minneola Elementary School students. “The thing is, the bus stop has been this way for about 25 years,” said Moore, adding that she and her husband both have had several near-accidents at the intersection. Neighbors and family members said they have complained about the bus stop because a steep grade behind it forces children to stand fairly close to the road, where speeders don’t slow down, even while approaching the busy intersection. There are no signs telling people they are approaching a bus stop and people just fly down the road here,” said Rusty Barron, who lives across the street from the bus stop. Barron and the boy’s uncle, Mark DeSenti, said they have both called the county numerous times to try to move the bus stop or at least get sidewalks installed.“It’s a total tragedy that could have been avoided by so many things,” DeSenti said. Adding to the danger is that children living south of Lake Minneola Shores Road (County Road 561) have to fight rush hour traffic and cross the road to get to the bus stop by 7:45 a.m. “You’ve got a busy intersection,” Moore said. “People are just flying down this road, so if you have to put two separate bus stops- one on either side of the highway so kids don’t have to cross the road- then do that. “Something has to be changed because not only did I lose my son, but the kids on the bus are part of this tragedy and the kids in his class, too."
The mood was somber Tuesday morning at Minneola Elementary, Patton said. "It's still new," Patton said of the news of the fourth-grader's death. Teachers were working with the students Tuesday but grief counselors were expected to be brought in today, Patton said. School Principal Sandra Reaves praised Anthony in this statement:
Anthony was full of life and had a bright future. His warm smile will be greatly missed by the entire school. It's a devastating time for the school. We ask
for the media's understanding when dealing with the school and family. Our thoughts,
prayers and condolences are with his family, friends and classmates." DeRenzo, who lives on the intersection, was one of the first people to call 911 after the accident. "I saw the boy fly and then heard a big screech," she said. A retired nurse, DeRenzo said she ran over to Anthony, who was lying in the middle of the
road, as did a doctor on his way to work, who stopped and attempted to give the boy CPR. Barron said he heard a boom and then a screeching tires, indicating to him that the driver hit Anthony first, before slamming on his brakes. DeRenzo said the driver of the pickup truck laid down on the ground, crying and screaming, "Oh my God, oh my God." At the scene of the accident Tuesday morning, Moore laid her son's favorite toy, a stuffed "Scooby Doo," on top of a makeshift memorial the family erected. Anthony's grandmother, Ruth Sides, said her grandson was a "total Scooby Doo fan.
"He'd sit and watch Scooby Doo over and over again, then watch it some more. He loved it," said Sides, who shares her house with Moore and her husband, plus their four children, including Anthony. When Moore got to the bus stop she said she saw her son lying in the middle of the road. He was not wearing his glasses and she searched in vain at the crash site to find them for him. Tuesday's bus stop crash
marked the second in less than a week in Lake County. On the morning of May 5, a 9-
year-old Leesburg boy was .• struck by a 2008-blue Jeep driven by Savannah Elliott, 25, of Fruitland Park, as he waited for his bus at Oak Terrace Drive and Lee Street, Leesburg police said. The boy was crossing the road to board a school bus, police
said. He was taken to Leesburg Regional Medical Center with non -life-threatening injuries, police said.
Daily Commercial
Lake County

Teen bicyclist struck, killed

2011-08-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

Tyler Allen Martin died on way to hospital; driver not expected to be charged. A local 18-year-old died Wednesday after he was stuck by an oil tanker truck on County
Road 214, according to St. Johns County Sheriff's Office investigators. Tyler Allen Martin was riding his bicycle southbound on Ryan Road around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday,
according to a St. Johns County Sheriff's Office report. A Coomes Oil Co. tanker driving westbound on C.R. 214 struck Martin as he crossed through The intersection of Ryan Road and C.R. 214, the report said. St. Johns County Fire Rescue
personnel treated Martin at the scene, but he died on the way to a local hospital, said Sgt. Chuck Mulligan, spokesman for the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. Martin is the second bicyclist to die from being hit by a car on C.R. 214 in the last month. Investigators closed C.R. 214 for some time Wednesday afternoon while they assessed the accident scene. A crumpled teal bike lay mangled in the roadway.
The oil tanker was pulled off on the side of the road just yards away from the accident site.
The truck driver, also from St. Augustine, is not expected to be charged, the report said. However, the investigation is ongoing. Florida Motor Carrier Compliance officers inspected the oil truck at the scene. This is a routine procedure in accidents, Mulligan said. C.R. 214 is the extension of King Street, which runs west of Interstate 95. Bryan Wrigley, a 23-year-old University of St. Augustine student,
died a victim of a hit and run after being struck by a Ford Ranger truck near
Molasses Junction on April 13. Investigators are still looking for a young male driver of a 2001 to 2003 dark metallic blue Ford Ranger extended cab pickup truck with fog lights molded into the front bumper. There are no sidewalks or a bike lane
in that stretch of rural roadway. It is not illegal for bicyclists to ride in the roadway. However, there are raised reflectors that line the edges of C.R. 214, which cause bikers to ride closer to the center of the road.
St Augustine Record
St Johns County
By JUSTINE GRIFFIN
justine.griffin@staugustine.com

1 dead in crash with TFD firetruck

2011-08-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

A motorcyclist died Wednesday night in a crash with a Tallahassee Fire Department
truck. The crash occurred at 8:23 p.m. at the intersection of Tennessee Street and White Drive, TPD spokeswoman Officer Susan Newhouse said. The TFD truck was traveling west on Tennessee responding to a call. Newhouse said the truck had its lights and sirens on. The motorcyclist was traveling south on White when the crash occurred and died at the scene. Newhouse said the investigation was ongoing and did not have information including the identity of the motorcyclist or those in the
TFD truck. More than a dozen TPD and TFD vehicles surrounded the scene to investigate. Yellow caution tape cordoned off the westbound lanes of the intersection. TPD vehicles had blocked westbound lanes of Tennessee as far away as Ocala Road as the investigation continued.
Tallahassee
Democrat
Leon County
By Derek Redd
Democrat night editor

Teen killed in Sunday crash

2011-08-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

GRAND RIDGE
A single-car crash early Sunday killed a Sneads teen and left another in a hospital in critical condition, the Florida Highway Patrol reported. Joshua Lee Jaworski, 19, was driving a 2000 Acura on U.S. 90 eastbound with 17-year-old passenger Audrionna Schae Pearson when the car went onto the shoulder, hit a culvert and became airborne. The car rolled once and came to rest on its roof. Jaworski was killed and Pearson was taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, FHP reported. Both teens were wearing seat belts.

1 killed in U.S. 331 wreck

2011-08-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

DeFUNIAK SPRINGS
A driver was attempting to make a U-turn on U.S. 331 just north of Liberty when his truck collided with an SUV, killing the passenger and critically injuring the driver about 12:15 p.m. Sunday. Katherine Helmes Bryan, 53, of DeFuniak Springs, was pronounced dead on the scene after the 2004 Ford Explorer she was riding in collided with a 1997 Ford F150 driven by Shawn Patrick Barnes, 37, of Florala, Ala.
The driver of the Explorer, Ronald Lee Bellamy, 36, also of DeFuniak Springs, was critically injured. Barnes and his passenger, Tina Loreen Barnes, 42, of F1orala, Ala., were not injured.
Panama City News Herald
Bay County

1 killed 2 injured on I-4 bridge

2011-08-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

VOLUSIA COUNTY
A Port Orange man was killed early Tuesday in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 4,
the Florida Highway Patrol said. The crash occurred about 1:15 a.m. on the bridge over the St. Johns River. A 2001 Lexus driven by Eric Mendez, 27, of Orange City struck the rear of a 1994 Jeep driven by Brian Fitzgibbons, 38, troopers said. A third driver, Krystle McFadden, 23, of Deltona, was unable to stop and crashed her 2006 Buick van into the rear of the Lexus, troopers said. Fitzgibbons was killed. McFadden suffered serious injuries and was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach. Mendez had only minor Injuries, troopers said.
-Gary Taylor
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County

2 on motorcycle killed in crash

2011-08-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

TAMPA -Galilee Wells Howard was 69 but just started riding motorcycles a year ago. She retired from running a family well-drilling business when a new friend, Thomas Steven Colson, invited her to hop on the back of his chopper. Colson, a lifelong biker, loved having someone to share his adventures. He and Howard were parents to grown children, so they could spend the hours together as they pleased. They loved old music and nights out letting loose. Driving home from a motorcycle club about11:30 p.m. Friday, the two aboard his chopper were killed when a car turned in front of them, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Neither wore a helmet. The driver of the car left the scene, but was later found when her husband called authorities. The patrol is still investigating the crash, and no charges have been filed. Troopers said Colson, 62, of Tampa was driving his 2009 Big Dog chopper south on U.S. 41 when a 1988 Buick Park Avenue traveling north on the highway turned left onto Universal Drive south of Ruskin and into its path. Both Colson and passenger Howard were thrown onto the roadway and died at the scene. The driver of the car, identified
as Susanne Marie Meyers, 52, of Ruskin fled but was located by troopers at her home on nearby Metro Drive. Meyers' husband phoned authorities to inform them of her
whereabouts, the patrol said. He could not be reached for comment Saturday. The car she was driving sustained $2,000 worth of damage, the patrol estimated. “She ran. What a coward," said Stephanie Volkmar, Colson's daughter. “I hope justice is served."'
Records show Meyers was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence in January 2010 in Hillsborough County with a blood-alcohol level over 0.15. At 0.8 percent, a driver is considered impaired in Florida. Howard's family gathered Saturday at her home on Falkenburg Road to remember the woman they describe as caring, fun and loyal. "There are definitely bad feelings, but no one is really
angry right now because we're all still in shock," said James Pugh, Galilee Howard’s son-in-law. After Howard's husband died in 2001, the business they owned together, H&H Well Drilling, was passed onto their son, David. Howard kept busy spending
time with her grandchildren, gardening and riding with Colson. "She liked being out, she enjoyed people and having a good time," Pugh said. Faith was also a big part of
Howard’s life. She was a fan of television evangelists and attended services at Landmark Baptist Church in Seffner. Troopers found a small paper with an image of
Jesus on it in her belongings. Colson, a divorced father of two, worked part time as a mechanic after retiring from a career with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. He went by the name Steve, and his children were his life, said his daughter. His next biggest love was his bike. "He loved his chopper,” Volkmar
said. "It was his baby. When he rode, he felt free.” Volkmar couldn't bring herself to go see the mangled bike following Friday's crash. Colson's nephew had died in
a motorcycle crash not long ago, she said, adding that her father knew the risks of riding. Colson was looking forward to the birth of his first grandson this August. He already was grandfather to a 14-month-old girl. He recently taught the little
girl to point up at the sky whenever he asked, "Where are the birds?"
Now, they will teach her that grandpa is up there, too, riding with Galilee, Volkmar said.

St Petersburg Times
Pinellas County
BY SARAH WHITMAN
Times Staff Writer

3 Baker sisters killed in wreck

2011-08-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

By TOM McLAUGHLIN
Northwest Florida Daily News
tmclaughlin@nwfdailynew.com

Three sisters from Baker were killed and their grandmother was seriously injured Tuesday in a traffic accident in Wing, Ala., just north of the Florida line.
"It was the worst thing we've had in Wing in awhile," said Derek Henley, a firefighter with the Wing Volunteer Fire Department who responded to the 7 p.m. wreck. The Alabama Department of Public Safety identified the victims as Danielle Pippins, 8; Jenelle Pippins, 8; and Savannah Furr Pippins, 11. They all attended Okaloosa County schools. Danielle and Jenelle Pippins were twin sisters and had just completed second grade at Antioch Elementary School in Crestview, said Wanda Avery, the recently appointed school principal.
Avery said her staff notified the school's teachers about the accident using the school's phone tree. "It's a very sad situation. We're all still in shock," she said.
Avery said the school is "open to offer help to the family in any way we can."
Savannah Furr Pippins had just completed sixth grade at Shoal River Middle School in Crestview, Principal Bob Jones said. "You knew who she was because you'd see her smiling so much," he said. Shoal River educators also were grieving.
"It's just been a very, very tough day for us,'' Jones said. The girls ' grandmother, Dianne Poire', 54, of Sarasota, was driving when the accident occurred
at the intersection of Alabama County Route 4 and Alabama State Route 137. She was taken by helicopter to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, according to the Department of Public Safety's news release. She was listed in critical condition Wednesday.
Henley said two young women who he believed were returning to Birmingham, Ala., from a beach vacation on Route 4 ran a stop sign at the intersection of Route 137 and hit the Ford Tempo station wagon occupied by Poire' and the three girls. The impact of the T-bone collision "crushed that little station wagon like a bug," Henley said.
The Department of Public Safety identified Christine Harris as the driver or the 2010Toyota Corolla that ran into the Tempo. Harris was taken to a local hospital and treated for "non-life-threatening injuries," the news release said. Krista Hutchins of Wing said several residents rushed to the scene to try to help the victims.
She identified four of the good Samaritans as James Hooker, Greg Ross, Chet Ross and Barbara Jordan. "They pulled the little girls out and tried to get the lady out," Hutchins said. "Barbara and the others checked the girls' pulses, and when they realized they were gone they covered them and prayed for them." David Anderson, chief
deputy with the Covington County. Ala., Sheriff's Office said the residents "did everything they could" to help. "That's a good community down there. Those folks
are good to volunteer," he said. Henley, the firefighter, confirmed the children
were killed on impact and the grandmother had to be extricated from the vehicle.
The girls are survived by their mother and stepfather, Jenny and Jim Higdon of
Crestview, and their father, Eric Pippins of Crestview, according to an obituary
from Whitehurst Powell Funeral Home.

Dally News Staff Writer Katie Tammen contributed to this report.

Northwest Florida Daily News
Okaloosa County

1 dead in motorcycle crash

2011-08-05T10:20:00.001-07:00

The pedestrian was hit by a motorcyclist with a long history of traffic violations.
SPRING HILL- A Spring Hill motorcyclist with three DUI charges on his driving record hit and killed a female pedestrian Thursday morning when he sped through a red light on Spring Hill Drive, authorities say. Investigators had not been able to identify the woman as of Thursday evening. They said she was carrying no identification
and that no family members had come forward. They asked the public for assistance. The woman was the 34th pedestrian killed this year in the Tampa Bay area.
The woman whom authorities described as elderly, had been walking south in a crosswalk on Spring Hill Drive, near the Suncoast Crossing shopping center, about 10:15 a.m. when, investigators said, she stepped into the path of the westbound motorcyclist, who witnesses say was driving much faster than the 40 mph speed limit. She died at the scene.
The motorcyclist was identified as James Paul Conaty, 30, of Spring Hill. He sustained serious injuries and was flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg. Conaty, who was wearing a helmet, was riding a 2007 Suzuki motorcycle, according to Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Steve Gaskins. Authorities will wait for results from Conaty's toxicology report before filing any charges, Gaskins said.
Conaty has a lengthy history of traffic violations, records show, including three charges of driving under the influence- one with an injury and two with serious bodily injuries to others. In the most serious case, in Tampa in 1999, Conaty served 2 1/2 years in prison and was order to pay $510,500 in restitution for a DUI with serious bodily injury. His blood alcohol content was .205, more than double the level at which authorities consider someone to be under the influence. He was
18 at the time. In Hernando County, Conaty has multiple traffic tickets for speeding and careless driving and one count of fleeing a law enforcement officer. He had
been given until Aug. 8 to complete driving school for a charge of passing in a no-passing zone. His license has been suspended in the past but was valid at the
time of Thursday's accident. Conaty also has a lengthy criminal record. He has been
arrested 20 times in Florida and has been convicted of burglary, battery and threatening a witness. Rebecca Torres of Spring Hill was one of the witnesses to Thursday's fatality who said Conaty was speeding.
"He was not going the speed limit at all" said Torres. "I saw her, and then I didn't see her. It was like a second." Terry Jacobson of Wesley Chapel, who was cutting the lawn in front of a McDonald's restaurant near the intersection, described the crash scene as gruesome.
"That," he said, "was one of the worst things I've ever seen in my life."

Times researcher Natalie Watson contributed to this report. Melvin Backman can be reached at mbackman@sptimes .com or (352)754-6114.
St Petersburg Times
Hernando Edition

To help The Florida Highway Patrol is seeking help to identify the woman killed
Thursday on Spring Hill Drive. Anyone with information is asked to call (813) 631-
4020.

1 killed when motorcycle strikes UPS truck

2011-08-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

A motorcyclist died Tuesday after rear-ending a United Postal Services truck along Gunnery Road near Fourth Street Southwest in Lehigh Acres.
Gerardo Perez Jr., of Lehigh Acres, died at the scene, according to Lee County Sheriff's Office reports. The UPS truck was traveling north on Gunnery Road,
approaching Fourth Street Southwest, when a 2003 Kawasaki hit the UPS truck.
The driver of the UPS truck was not injured.
Naples Daily News
Collier County

1-year-old dies after Monday accident

2011-08-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

A baby boy from Panama City Beach died Tuesday night after he was injured in a wreck on Interstate 10 on Monday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
His mother, Quynh-Nhu Thuy Samantha Nguyen, 20, was driving east on I-10 a few miles east of Mossy Head at 6:20 a.m. according to an FHP news release. She reached over to the passenger seat where 12-year-old Cynthia Nguyen was holding the boy, Javon
Johnson, and lost control of the car. Two other children, Omari Johnson, 3, and
Naomi Nguyen, 5, were also in the car. None of the five were wearing a seatbelt.
Javon Johnson was flown to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola along with the
other two young children. He was pronounced dead Tuesday night at10:10 p.m., according to the release. Charges are pending.
Northwest Florida
Daily News
Okaloosa County

2 hurt, but baby OK in Saturday crash

2011-08-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Two Miami motorists were hospitalized, but an infant was uninjured, in a two-car crash about 5:13 p.m. Saturday at Mile Marker 63 in which a pickup rolled on its side, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Michael Escolona, 20, was driving a 1998 Honda south with Jessica Lam, 20, of Miami, and an infant in a car seat, when he
reportedly rear-ended a Toyota pickup driven by 71-year-old Felix Hernandez, who was slowing to turn left into a parking lot at the south end of Long Key Bridge, the release states. Hernandez also had a passenger, Fnu Hernandez, 70. Felix Hernandez was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami; Fnu Hernandez was taken to Fishermen's Hospital in Marathon. All four adults were wearing seat belts.
The infant was properly secured in the car seat of the Honda and was not hurt, the report says. The crash closed the highway for about an hour and 15 minutes.
Free Press
Monroe County

3 injured in crash on Interstate 275

2011-08-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

One motorcyclist crashed Tuesday on Interstate 275 after turning around to watch another motorcyclist who had rammed the back of a car, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The result? Minor injuries for all drivers - and a 45-minute shutdown of all
southbound lanes near the Pasco-Hillsborough county line. The two motorcyclists
were driving south on I-275 at a high speed when they tried to pass a Ford Focus, troopers said. The motorcycle driven by Adam J. Clark, 22, of Port Richey hit the back of the Ford, which lost control and hit a concrete wall. The second motorcyclist, Benjamin C.Wigen, 21, of Lutz, turned back to look at the crash- and overturned.
Clark, Wigen and the car's driver, Christopher Tichanuk, 28, of Wesley Chapel were
taken to St. Joseph's Hospital with minor injuries.
St Petersburg Times
Pinellas County

3 injured in Lynn Haven crash

2011-08-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

Woman escaping from police hit car in rainstorm; 2 critical
LYNN HAVEN - Three people were seriously injured, two critically, in a wreck Monday on State 77 after police briefly pursued one of the vehicles in a rainstorm, authorities said. The wreck, which occurred near 26th Street about 12:20 p.m., forced
authorities to shut down the intersection for several hours while Florida Highway Patrol investigators examined the crash.
Courtney Coughlin, 35, of Panama City Beach, and her passenger, 12-year-old Kayley Rice, also of Panama City Beach, were taken to a local hospital with critical injuries, troopers reported. Officials said Kayley is Coughlin's daughter and neither was wearing a seat belt. Joshua K. Steele, 17, of Lynn Haven also was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. According to a FloridaHighway Patrol (FHP) incident report, Coughlin ran a red light in her 2005 Chevrolet passenger car and struck Steele's1996 Cadillac. But the chain of events that led to
the wreck apparently began May 1 when Meredith Allen's purse was stolen, Allen said. The Lynn Haven resident said Coughlin "allegedly'' took the purse and used Allen's identification to write about 20 fake checks. Shortly after noon Monday, Coughlin was in the drive-through of an Innovations Federal Credit Union in Lynn Haven, again attempting to write a bad check in Allen's name, officials said. However; this time, Allen and Lynn Haven police were notified of the transaction. Allen arrived at the scene in her personal vehicle just in time to see a Lynn Haven officer pull in front of Coughlin at the drive-through.
Coughlin then pulled out, drove around the officer, hopped a curb and turned onto State 77, Allen said. Two other Lynn Haven police cars - one marked and one unmarked - immediately pulled in behind Coughlin and began following her with their
lights and sirens going, Allen said According to the FHP report, at least one of the
officers "disengaged and deactivated his emergency equipment" near 24th Street. The news release does not mention the second, unmarked, police car Allen said she went inside the bank and did not see what happened next. What happened next was that Stephanie Schafferman, a clerk at a gas station near 26th Street, heard a boom.
"It sounded like lightning hitting a tree," she said. But as Schafferman looked
out past the racks of Marlboro and Newport Pleasure cigarettes, she saw the wreck. She picked up a phone and started to dial 911, but before she could call, a police car arrived on scene. An unmarked police car arrived seconds later, she added.
Chief David Messer of the Lynn Haven Police Department on Monday referred all
questions to the Florida Highway Patrol. Authorities originally reported one person was dead following the accident, but troopers later said all three people involved still were alive. The News Herald confirmed Kayley was on life support late Monday.
Bay County sheriff's investigators said they are preparing to charge Coughlin with
several counts of passing forged checks and another drug possession case stemming
from evidence found Monday. FHP officials wrote that charges are pending in their investigation. Police have dealt with Coughlin before. In 2005, she was sentenced to two years in prison for aggravated assault with a weapon and two counts of possession of a controlled substance. "She should definitely go to jail," Allen said.
However, after hoping for weeks that Coughlin would be caught and punished, Monday's
turn of events left Allen feeling sorry for her.
“I’m a mother, too," Allen said. "I feel bad for her even though she's caused all this herself."
By S. BRADY CALHOUN
News Herald Writer
bcalhoun@pcnh.com
Panama City News Herald
Bay County

Lawyer wins most ticket battles

2011-08-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

DEERFIELD BEACH --There's no doubt Cheryl Hill's Ford Focus ran a red light last November. A pole-mounted camera captured it sailing right through. The city of Fort Lauderdale was counting on Hill paying the ticket that arrived in the mail. Red light
cameras were to generate $3 million this year for the South Florida city -at $75 a pop.
But those expectations did not consider the likes of Ted Hollander, 41, a Broward-based lawyer who has turned traffic ticket defense into a Porsche-level legal career.
His high-volume firm, the Ticket Clinic, will refund its $75 fee if it can't beat a red light camera rap. So far he has challenged about 550 tickets in five counties and not lost one.
Hollander and a handful of other lawyers have figured out that when one ticket bites the dust, dozens more can disappear on the same grounds. Their persistence has thrown an unexpected wrench into South Florida's headlong rush toward red light cameras and could have big implications for Tampa Bay-area cities getting into the business. Pembroke Pines got its first camera in July. At the beginning of this year, the cameras were costing the city money, including $33,000 in legal fees.
Miami-Dade County expected to make $800,000 a month on its 18 cameras that debuted in January. Collections are running one-quarter of that. Money can be slow to arrive in the first few months, as a certain amount of public education is required.
On the other hand, Fort Lauderdale's police chief reported in April that ticket revenues were "drastically'' falling each week as word spreads that judges are dismissing cases.
The city expected each of its six cameras to crank out 13 paying tickets per day, police Chief Frank Adderly told the City Commission. That's now down to five.
Meanwhile, costs are rising. The city tasked two police aides with viewing the red light videos and approving the fines. The aides are overwhelmed, spending three days a week either testifying or collecting documentation for court. With only two days left to work on video, they faced a 2,000-case backlog by March, Adderly said. lf the city cannot mail citations within 60 days, as the lawrequires, it may have to dismiss them. Adderly asked for three more aides to keep up- almost one per camera.
Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom says she favors the cameras if someone can prove they save lives, but financially, " it's a boondoggle." The city expected to net $3 million after paying employee salaries and the camera vendor. The current projection is $150,000, and that doesn't count city attorney time in court. "It was packaged as a revenue generating item," Rodstrom said. "Now it appears that it may be costing us resources."
Enter the prosecutor Fort Lauderdale City Deputy Attorney Brad Weissman is on a
mission, and St. Petersburg, Hillsborough County, Port Richey and other governments that cast their lot with cameras should hope he succeeds. Weissman, 49, is a former prosecutor who once put murderers in jail. Now he is determined to defeat ticket defense attorneys. He is Joe Frazier to Ted Hollander's Muhammad Ali. For months,
they have swapped blows over law and the rules of evidence. To win a batch of dismissals, Hollander just needs one flaw in how the police carried out the law.
When Weissman cures that problem, Hollander moves on to a new objection.
Think legal Whac-A-Mole. Tickets get dismissed this week because police aides can't verify their training. Whack! Next week, Weissman schools them on how to testify.
Can't prove the defendant owns the car? Whack! Next week, make sure aides bring a certified copy of the vehicle registration. Computer printout can't prove a
citation was mailed? Whack! Summon the camera vendor from Arizona to verify how the system works. So far, Weissman has not beat Hollander all the way through a trial. But prosecutions are still in their infancy, he cautioned. "My role is to get a workable process that is acceptable to the court," Weissman said. With Cheryl Hill's ticket earlier this month, Hollander and Weissman were at it again, their ongoing
rivalry in full swing. At one point Hollander accused Weissman of twisting a rule about prisoner mailngs. If anyone should know that rule, Hollander said, it
should be a lawyer who tried felony crimes for years. A few minutes later, Weissman
returned the jab: If anyone should understand a point of ticket law, he
said, it should be "the master of traffic rules." "I object," Hollander yelled.
"I object, too," Weissman countered. "I don't really think he is." Mail and hearsay
Cheryl Hill's Ford ran a red light all right, but she never drives it. Her
son and his girlfriend use it, but they don't remember who was behind the wheel.
By law, that doesn't matter. Owners are the presumed drivers unless they identify someone else. If they don't do that or pay a $158 fine, they receive an official traffic citation and the fine jumps to $264. Either way, the city collects $75, and
the state and county the rest. "I'm trying to get Ted to beat it for me." Hill said recently. "If I can't, I will be responsible and pay the cost. But I am annoyed."
Hollander spent more than seven hours arguing Hill's case, with more riding on the outcome than his $75 fee. Lawyers, hearing masters and judges in several counties are
watching red light camera arguments, and Hollander is at the forefront. Hill's case got hung up over a battle over the mail. The law requires that cities deliver citations by certified mail. Hollander argued the city can't prove it was
delivered. If a police officer writes a red light citation, he hands a ticket to the
driver, then comes to court and testifies. But with the camera, American Traffic Solutions, an Arizona-based vendor, processes the video and paperwork. Fort Lauderdale police aides can testify that they reviewed the video, but they have no personal knowledge of the citation mailing, Hollander said. Anything they say about that is inadmissible hearsay. Weissman disagreed. It's ludicrous to suggest that red light runners must personally receive the citation, he said. Even if the city asked for a return receipt, people could avoid accepting the mail. Third parties
could intercept it and throw it away - say a son who doesn't want his mother to know he ran a red light. Delivering mail "is not something the state or municipalities can
control," Weissman argued, "short of going to the home, beating down the door and slapping it in their hands.''
Broward County Judge Steven DeLuca ultimately agreed with the city on that issue.
Hollander was undeterred. While fighting that, he unearthed another means of attack. The law requires the city to give people 30 days to pay after their first notice of violation.
''The same business records the city fought so hard to get into evidence showed that people weren't given the full 30 days to pay," he said. Next, constitutionality
Hollander has argued that cities must follow normal rules of evidence. If that fails, he will challenge the constitutionality of the camera statute itself. He believes the way some cities are paying camera vendors runs afoul of the state law that prohibits vendors from getting paid on a per-ticket basis. He also believes camera tickets violate the constitutional right of equal protection because people are treated differently for the same offense. When officers write red light tickets, the fine is $264, plus three points on the driver's license. Offenders caught on camera get no points and pay only $158. "lf someone violates a law and an officer witnesses it, they should get a ticket," he said. "But when (cities) are just putting up cameras to generate funds, that's when the problems start and it's not really about safety."
Judge Robert Lee, who supervises Broward traffic court, looks forward to a day when camera cases become routine. The legal battles turned out to be more complicated than anyone foresaw, he said. "We probably will be bouncing back and forth between the trial court and the appellate court for a couple of years." The court system earns no money from the camera tickets and dockets are growing geometrically. If the
trend continues, Lee said camera cases "could exceed all other traffic tickets combined."
Here in the Tampa Bay area, litigation so far has been limited. The Ticket Clinic has Tampa lawyers, but until recently they often advised clients to pay the $158
fine. That changed earlier this month when Ticket Clinic lawyer Jeff Reynolds began filing defenses in Hillsborough and Pinellas. He plans to use the arguments Hollander
developed in South Florida. "We don't want people running red lights," said Reynolds. "But if we are successful in making municipalities prove these things in the way the rules of evidence dictate you should, it's going to be a lot more
expensive than one guy watching a video and coming to court and pushing a button."
Gainesville Sun
Alachua County

Motorcyclist hurt in wreck

2011-06-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

NORTH PORT- A motorcyclist suffered serious head injuries after a Sunday wreck, authorities said. Shortly before midnight Sunday, Jamey Lee Peyton of the 8500 block of Amberjack Circle was thrown from a 2003 Yamaha while driving east on East Price Boulevard near Orlando Boulevard. North Port Police say neither alcohol nor speed were factors. Paramedics airlifted Peyton to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg.

Driver in rollover faces DUI charges

2011-06-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

SARASOTA COUNTY
- A Bradenton man whose car rolled over when he drove off a ramp of Interstate 75 faces four
criminal charges, including driving under the influence. Sarasota County sheriffs deputies arrested Caleb B. Benson, 25, of the 4400 block of Sanibel Way in Bradenton on charges of DUI causing serious bodily injury and three other charges.
Shortly after 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Benson reportedly drove off the northbound ramp of I -75 at
Fruitville Road. Two of four passengers in Benson's vehicle were injured. The Sheriff’s Office reported that Benson, who was not injured, admitted to previously drinking alcohol at a bar.

Autopsy shows youth had alcohol in system

2011-06-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

CRASH KILLED FOUR: But experts say Sean Leonard was not legally impaired
By DALE WHITE
dale. white@heraldtribune.com

SARASOTA COUNTY - An autopsy report shows that the driver of an SUV that crashed in
March, killing him and three other teenagers, had alcohol and marijuana in his system at the
time of the wreck. Yet experts say the results do not indicate that Sean Leonard, 19, was legally impaired. About 5:30 a.m. on March 13, Leonard lost control of a Chevrolet TrailBlazer while driving eastbound on Wilkinson Road. The Florida Highway Patrol, which is still investigating the accident, determined that the SUV was traveling at 99 mph when Leonard failed to negotiate a curve.
The vehicle veered into an oncoming lane, jumped a curb and rolled into a concrete block wall
at Marcott Circle. Also killed were Leonard's three passengers: Andrew Monroe, 19; Kelly Janis, 15; and Leonard's sister, Jessica Leonard, 14.
Dr. Russell Vega, the medical examiner, and Dr. Wilson A. Broussard, who conducted the autopsies, were unavailable for comment Monday. Yet two independent pathologists agreed that the findings do not show that Leonard - whose alcohol level was .01 and .03 in separate tests - was legally intoxicated. Dr. Thomas W. Young, a former medical examiner in Missouri who is a forensic consultant in court cases, described Leonard's alcohol level as "very low" if it was at .01.
In Florida, a driver with a blood-alcohol level of .08 is considered intoxicated.
In Florida, where the legal drinking age is 21, state law is more strict for underage drivers.
According to the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles, any driver under 21 whose alcohol level is .02 or above faces a license suspension for six months. Separate tests show ''byproducts of smoking marijuana" in Leonard's blood, Young said. But the pathologist regarded the amounts of
THC, the hallucinogenic substance in marijuana, to be "not particularly meaningful" and inconclusive as to whether Leonard was high during the wreck. Marijuana byproducts can stay
in the body long after the drug was used, he said. Dr. Stephen Godfrey, also a pathologist and
court expert in Missouri, said Leonard's THC levels show "some cannabis use in the last 24 to 48 hours." Passenger Andrew Monroe,19, had a blood-alcohol level of .13; his liver also tested positive for traces of cannabis, the medical examiner's report stated. Rear-seat passenger Kelly Janis had a blood alcohol level of .05, but no traces of cannabis.
No alcohol or cannabis was found in tests of the other rear-seat passenger, Jessica Leonard.
The accident caused a wave of mourning across the region among young people and adults who
knew the four teenagers. The two girls both attended Sarasota Military Academy. Leonard and
Monroe graduated from Riverview High School in 2010. Monroe's family declined to comment Monday, noting that the FHP had previously said alcohol was not considered a factor in the crash. Calls to the Leonard and Janis homes were not returned.

Sarasota Herald Tribune
Sarasota County
May 24, 2011

Motorcyclist killed was Lehigh man

2011-06-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

FORT MYERS
Fort Myers police have identified the man killed in a motorcycle crash Sunday morning as Rafael Vaca Vazquez, 25, of Lehigh Acres.
The crash occurred at 1:32 a.m. at the intersection of Jackson Street and Dora Street Police said VacaVazquez was not wearing a helmet when he was thrown from the motorcycle.
No other vehicles are believed to have been involved in the crash, which is under investigation.

Ft Myers News Press
Lee County
May 24, 2011

Man, 76, dies after crash of motorcycle

2011-06-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

A 76-year-old Jacksonville man died at Florida Hospital Flagler after crashing his new trike on Interstate 95, the Florida Highway Patrol said Friday. John R. Tucker Jr. was traveling
north on the interstate north of the Palm Coast Parkway exit on his three-wheeled motorcycle
Tuesday when he tried to pass a tractor-trailer and lost control, an FHP report states. He side-swiped the guardrail and was ejected over it. Tucker was transported to the hospital and later pronounced dead.
A friend told troopers that Tucker had just purchased the trike and was not familiar with
that style of motorcycle.

Daytona Beach
News Journal
Volusia County
May 21, 2011

Biker dies after crashing into mailbox

2011-06-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

A 29-year-old Port Orange man speeding through a residential neighborhood to work just after
7 a.m. Tuesday was killed after he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed into a mailbox,
South Daytona police said. Stephen Picard was heading north on Anastasia Drive at an
estimated 60 mph when he lost control of his 2005 Suzuki sport bike at Sherman Road, police
said. The speed limit on Anastasia is 25 mph.
After Picard struck the mailbox at a residence, he and the bike tumbled and flipped, landing
in the driveway of another house, said Sgt. Denny Pierson. "He was wearing a helmet, but
he was killed right there," Pierson said.
The impact knocked Picard's helmet off, police said.

Daytona Beach
News Journal
Volusia Cournty
May 25, 2011

Collision kills biker on Curry Ford Road

2011-06-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

ORANGE COUNTY
Collision kills biker on Curry Ford Road
A motorcyclist died Monday night after crashing into another vehicle on Curry Ford Road, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Giovanni Ocasio, 33, of Orlando, was riding a 2004 Yamaha motorcycle east about 10:02 p.m. when he struck another vehicle that was trying to cross the
eastbound lanes. Ocasio and his bike came to rest just east of the intersection with Andover Cay
Boulevard. He died at the scene. Cynthia Walker, 53, of Orlando, was driving the 2010 Hyundai SUV hit by Ocasio. She and her passenger, 74-year-old Carmen Walker of Maryville, Tenn., were not hurt, the FHP said. The crash was under investigation Tuesday.

Anika Myers Palm
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County
May 20, 2011

Crash fatal to driver hit leaving Walmart

2011-06-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

ORANGE COUNTY

A driver leaving a Walmart was hit by a sport-utility vehicle early Thursday and died at a hospital, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Marie Pierre Canel 26, of Orlando, was turning left to leave the store at 8990 Turkey Lake Road and drove her 2001 Pontiac Sunfire into the path of
a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban driven by Kirsten West, 37, of Ocoee, investigators said Canel died later at Orlando Regional Medical Center, troopers said. West was taken to ORMC in serious condition.

- Susan Jacobson
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County
May 21, 2011

3 dead in head-on crash of truck, car

2011-06-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

ORANGE COUNTY
Three men died early Friday when a 1989 Chevrolet pickup truck crashed head-on into a 2001 Toyota Corolla on Orange Blossom Trail in Apopka. The man driving the wrong-way truck just before 1 a.m. was dead at the scene near Sprint Boulevard. As of Friday night the Florida Highway Patrol had not been able to identify him. The driver of the Toyota, Charles Richard Diaz III, 21, and his passenger, Daniel Francis Morgan, 21, both of
Apopka, also died at the scene.

- Anika Myers Palm

Crash leaves one in serious condition:

2011-06-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

MADISON
A 48-year-old woman is in serious condition after a crash in Madison County on Sunday. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Michael Browning, 47, was traveling west on State Road 14 in a 2007 Chevrolet pickup in Madison County around 11 a.m. when he turned left in front of Randy Wyatt, 52, and his 2008 Toyota four-door. Ann-Marie Wyatt, 48, a passenger in the Toyota, was taken to Madison Hospital with serious injuries. The two drivers were not injured. All three were from Madison. Madison County Deputy David Myers and Madison County EMS assisted.

Democrat staff reports
Tallahassee Democrat
Leon County
May 18, 2011

Minivan, SUV collide; four sent to hospital

2011-06-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

MlAMl
An elderly man was seriously hurt when an accident threw him from his minivan on Sunday
afternoon, according to a spokesman for Miami Fire-Rescue. The man, who is in his 70s, was taken to Ryder Trauma Center, and three other adults were taken to hospitals with minor injuries. The victims' names were not released. The two-car accident happened just after 1 p.m. Sunday at Northwest 12th Avenue and 71st Street, said Lt. Ignatius Carroll. An SUV collided with the minivan, sending it skidding through a fence and onto a sports field at Miami Northwestern Senior High School.
Two children, ages 5 and 7, in the SUV were unhurt, Carroll said, because they were in car
seats. "We were surprised to see kids that age in car seats, but as a result they were able to walk
away from that accident without a scratch,'' he said.

Ariel Barkhurst
Sun Sentinel
Broward County
May 30, 2011

Two in hospital after Friday crash

2011-06-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

PUTNAM COUNTY-
Two Ocala residents were transported to a Putnam hospital on Friday night after the vehicle they were traveling in struck a utility pole, causing the pole to fall and temporarily knocking out electricity in the area, Florida Highway Patrol troopers say. FHP officials in Putnam County said Sheena Bowermaster, 24, and Christopher Isherwood, 29, were in a 2003 Jeep Liberty when Bowermaster, who was the driver, lost control of the vehicle and it drove onto the west grass shoulder. Bowermaster then overcorrected, authorities said, by steering sharply to the left, and the vehicle slid sideways on the shoulder and the rear struck a power pole, causing the upper portion to snap and fall onto the roadway. Power to portions of the Interlachen area was
disconnected, and Florida Power and Light officials were called to replace the pole and restore power to the area. The roadway was closed due to a power line lying in the roadway.
The accident occurred on County Road 315, just north of 64th Street in Interlachen. Both occupants, who were wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash, were transported
to Putnam Community Hospital with minor injuries.

Ocala Star Banner
Marion County
June 2, 2011

Deputy in hospital after Thursday crash

2011-06-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

FHP says his patrol car collided with another car while enroute to a call.
By Karen Voyles
Staff writer
A Levy County sheriff’s deputy from Dunnellon was seriously injured when his marked patrol
car caught fire following a Thursday night crash. The Florida Highway Patrol said Cpl. Brian
Christopher Marra, 36, was taken to Shands at the University of Florida in serious condition following the 10:10 p.m. crash on Alt. U.S. 27 in Bronson. Marra is being housed in intensive care. The other driver involved, Jeremy J. Mayes, 20, of Bronson, was at the wheel of a 1992 Ford four-door and was not injured, troopers said. FHP Sgt. Tracy Hisler-Pace said Marra was
headed west to a call and came up behind Mayes in the inside lane. The trooper said both Marra
and Mayes tried to move to the outside Lane at the same time. As a result, the left front of the patrol car hit the right side of the Ford. After the collision, the patrol car began to spin and the front of it hit a concrete utility pole. As the patrol car began to burn, several passersby stopped to help get Marra out of the car and away from the flames. Sheriff's spokesman Maj. Evan Sullivan said Marra was on his way to a disturbance call. Sullivan also said that Marra remained in the intensive care unit at Shands on Friday with injuries that included a broken leg. Hisler-Pace said charges in the case are pending further investigation.

Ocala Star Banner
Marion County
May 28, 2011

Woman indicted in biker's death

2011-06-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

Woman indicted in biker's death
By TONY HOLT
Hernando Today

BROOKSVILLE >> Grand jurors on Tuesday indicted a 21-year-old Spring Hill woman on murder and aggravated fleeing charges. Brittany Elizabeth Miles was arrested following a
May 10 accident near County Line Road that killed a motorcyclist. Moments prior to the
accident, Miles escaped arrest along U.S. 19 in Hudson after a Pasco County sheriffs deputy
had her in custody under suspicion of DUI, authorities said. Before her pickup could be towed from the scene, Miles escaped from the back of a sheriffs cruiser, got into her vehicle and fled north along the highway while dragging the deputy a couple hundred feet, according to the Pasco
County Sheriffs Office. During her escape - and while deputies were in pursuit - she plowed
into 67-year-old Henry F. McCain as he was crossing the highway on his motorcycle, deputies said. Miles continued driving a short distance and attempted to elude deputies on foot, but she was arrested near Spring Hill Drive, according to the sheriffs office. The Pasco deputy who was clinging to Miles' vehicle in an attempt to stop her from escaping was hospitalized, but later released, deputies said. Assistant State Attomey Pete Magrino said because Miles killed McCain during the commission of other felonies - including escape and resisting arrest with violence - her most severe charge was upgraded to first-degree murder. Magrino said the State Attorney's Office will not pursue the death penalty against Miles. She faces other charges in Pasco County. Jail records show she was on probation for a drug charge when the accident took place.
The Hernando County case likely will be handled by Assistant State Attorney Bill Catto, said Magrino. Catto, who works out of the Citrus County office, prosecutes the majority of traffic-related homicide cases in the Fifth Judicial Circuit. Miles is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Hernando County Circuit Court. She is expected to be represented by an attorney out of Daytona Beach.

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

Tampa Tribune
Pasco edition
June 2, 2011

Bus backs over, kills 20-year-old

2011-06-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

PLANT CITY
Bus backs over, kills 20-year-old
A woman was killed Wednesday after being struck by a school bus about to start its route, police said. The Hillsborough County School District bus was being backed out of a field in the 600 block of E Cherry Street at about 5:30 a.m. when it hit 20-year-old Isabel Martinez, police said. Martinez had crawled under the bus sometime during the night but police are unsure why. The bus is parked overnight at the longtime bus driver's home in Plant City, said Steve Hegarty, a schools spokesman. He said the driver had backed up a few feet when she heard a noise that sounded like she had run something over. She found the body and called 911.

Police: Car runs red light, kills man

2011-06-20T11:06:00.001-07:00

VOLUSIA COUNTY
Police: Car runs red light, kills man
A 56-year-old Port Orange motorcyclist was killed Sunday when a car ran a stoplight near
Daytona Beach and drove into his path, the Florida Highway Patrol said. William Lee
Hughes was northbound on Tomoka Farms Road about 3:35p.m. when a 2007 Chevrolet
driven by Lakecia Harris, 31, of DeLand, ran the light as she drove west on International
Speedway Boulevard, troopers said. The BMW motorcycle hit the left front fender of the
Chevrolet, the highway patrol said. Hughes, who was wearing a helmet, was thrown from the
bike. Harris sustained minorinjuries.

Susan Jacobson
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County
May 31, 2011

Police: Car runs red light, kills man

2011-06-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

Susan Jacobson
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County
May 31, 2011

Biker, driver are killed in crashes

2011-06-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

ORANGE COUNTY
Biker, driver are killed in crashes
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the deaths of a motorcyclist and a driver in separate crashes Tuesday night. The first death occurred shortly before 8:30p.m. when a motorcyclist struck the back of a Ford pickup that pulled out in front of it on Colonial Drive near Grayson Drive, in the Union Park area east of Orlando.
The motorcyclist died at Florida Hospital East, said FHP spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Montes.

The driver was hit by a barbecue that flew off a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction about 10:30 p.m. in the 400 block of DeLeon Avenue, not far from the intersection of John Young Parkway and Old Winter Garden Road.

David Breen
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County
June 1, 2011

Vernon woman among Panama City crash injuries

2011-06-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

Vernon woman among Panama City crash injuries
By Felicia Kitzmiller
Florida Freedom Newspapers

PANAMA CITY BEACH- Two people were seriously injured in a multi-vehicle wreck at the intersection of Back Beach Road and Hills Road early Thursday morning. According to a crash report from the Panama City Beach Police Department, Jamison Thomas-Earl Wood was intoxicated when he crashed into the rear of two motorcycles waiting to turn onto Back Beach Road (U.S. 98) at the stop sign on Hills Road. Matthew Tomasello, 24, of Mattoon, Ill., and Christie Michelle Anderson, 21, of Gainesville, were thrown from Tomasello's 2009 Kawasaki
motorcycle when they were hit by Wood, the report said. The second motorcycle, driven by Zachary Major, age unknown, of Vernon, and also ridden by passenger Kaitlyn Dover, 18, of
Murrayville, Ga., was struck either by Wood's vehicle or Tomasello's motorcycle.
None of the motorcyclists were wearing helmets. After hitting the motorcycles, police said Wood's vehicle, a 1996 Dodge pickup, continued into the intersection, striking a car traveling
east on Back Beach Road occupied by 21-year-old Wesley Pickenpaugh and 19-year-old Coralanne Embroski, both of Greenwood Circle in Panama City Beach. The car traveled into the
median, where it flipped "one or two times," and landed on its roof, the report said. Wood, 23, of Pinewood Drive in Panama City Beach, had a blood alcohol level of 0.196 and was charged with
driving under the influence, open container, driving with a suspended license, driving with an expired registration and failing to stop at a stop sign.
Tomasello and Pickenpaugh were taken by ambulance to Bay Medical Center. Tomasello's condition was not immediately available and Pickenpaugh was listed in serious condition in the intensive care unit.

Washington County News
Chipley
May 28, 2011

Three injured in head-on crash

2011-06-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

NEWS BRIEFS
Three injured in head-on crash
Three people remained in critical condition late Friday following a head-on car crash Thursday at mile marker 64.5 of U.S. 1, on the Long Key Bridge. Robb Cagle, 27, and Sarah Cagle, 29, both of
Goodletsville, Tenn., and Jessi Thornton, 19, of West Palm Beach were all flown to the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami following the 10 a.m. crash. The Florida Highway Patrol says Robb Cagle, driving a 2011 Nissan with Sarah as a passenger, caused the crash.
"Witnesses stated [Cagle 's car] was passing numerous vehicles as it was traveling south in the
northbound lane," Trooper David Riso wrote in a report.
Thornton, in the northbound lane, "attempted · to avoid the collision by steering [his 2011 Kia] to the right side of the bridge and almost up against the concrete wall."
But the two cars' left fronts collided, with the impact rotating both and forcing them into the
southbound lane, where they came to a rest. Combined damage to the two autos is $27,000,
Riso wrote.

Monroe County
May 21, 2011

Motorcycle Crash Injures Two

2011-06-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

A Lee man and a Madison woman were seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in Suwannee County on Sunday, May 15. According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, Randall Scott, 53, of
Suwanee, and his passenger, Retta Raggins, 49, of Madison, were flown by helicopter to Shands in Gainesville with serious injuries.
The wreck occurred in the southern part of Suwannee County.

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc

Madison County Carrier
May 25, 2011

Bike rider hurt after colliding with car in Hosford Saturday

2011-06-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

A 21-year-old Hosford resident was taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital by emergency
helicopter after his bicycle collided with a car Saturday afternoon.
Marvin M. Staton was riding south on Shuler Street around 5:27 p.m. when he failed to heed a stop sign at a four-way intersection and rode into the path of a westbound car on Roberts
Street, according to FHP Trooper Jason King. The bike rider was struck by the right front of a 1996 Mercury Cougar driven by Steve Allen Kirkpatrick of Hosford. Staton was ejected
from the bike, thrown onto the windshield and then fell to the ground at the northeast corner of the intersection. Emergency workers arrived at the scene to find Stanton unresponsive and
he was transported to the landing zone by ambulance after reportedly suffering incapacitating injuries. "He was cut, bleeding and banged up all over from where he hit the windshield," the trooper said.
When contacted Monday, the hospital said Staton had already been discharged. Charges are pending.

by Teresa Eubanks,
Journal Editor

Calhoun Liberty Journal
Bristol
May 25,2011

Pedestrian killed in crash

2011-06-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

A pedestrian was hit and killed by a truck Sunday night while trying to cross Pensacola Boulevard. About 8:10 p.m. Sunday, Heriberto Ponce, 61, of Miami, walked into the path of a northbound truck while attempting to cross the six-lane divided highway near Milstead Street, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report. The Dodge pickup truck, driven by Roy Phillips, 69, of Pensacola struck and killed Ponce.
No charges were filed against Phillips. The northbound lanes of Pensacola Boulevard were closed for two hours Sunday night during the accident investigation.

Pensacola News Journal
Escambia County
May 24, 2011

Lakes hit-and-run victim: 'Come save me'

2011-06-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

Damaged Ford F-150 sought after woman hurt

LAUDERDALE LAKES – Trapped in the wreckage of her car, Miriam Reid could only reach the cellphone she kept on a cord around her neck. She called her older brother, "Come save me," said the 20-year-old nursing student. From the family's house just blocks away, Emmanuel Reid, 24, and his brother David, 22, rushed to the 4800 block of West Oakland Park Boulevard.
They saw their sister pinned in a mass of twisted metal. "I don't even remember what I said to her," said David Reid. ''I just started praying." The driver of the Ford F-150 pickup
truck that collided with Reid's car at about 2p.m. Saturday fled the scene,
witnesses told Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies.
Within minutes of the brothers' arrival, Broward Sheriffs Fire Rescue crews showed up to begin what turned out to be a complex extracation. Using hydraulic tools and metal saws, rescuers
cut off the top of the red Toyota Corolla, removed the door and pried the dashboard from Reid's legs. After 30 minutes of work, she was freed and taken to Broward General Medical Center, where she remained on Sunday. She was in stable condition and recovering from surgery to repair her shattered right leg, said her father, Charles Reid.
A month away from graduating from a nursing program at Atlantic Technical Center in Coconut Creek, Miriam Reid was en route to pick up her mother at a friend's house when the truck collided with her westbound car. The crash propelled her Toyota through a chain-link fence and head-on into a tree. Charles Reid said his daughter is alive only because she was wearing a seat belt and the car's airbags deployed. She knows she is lucky to have survived, her family said.
"She just kept telling me last night that she couldn't believe the guy hit her and just ran off like that,'' said David Reid. "She could have been dead.''

Police on Sunday were looking for the Ford F-150 pickup truck, described as having tinted windows and significant front-end damage. "I hope they arrest this guy soon," said Charles
Reid, 51. ''He's dangerous. They need to get him off the road and lock him up before someone else gets hurt." Officials ask anyone with information to call the Broward Sheriff's Office at 954-765-4321 or Broward CrimeStoppers, anonymously, at 954-493-TlPS (8477).

By Mike Clary
STAFF WRITER
Staff researcher Barbara
Hijek contributed to this report.
Sun Sentinel
Broward County
May 30, 2011

Motorcyclist dies after accident

2011-06-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

SAFETY HARBOR
A Tampa Man injured in a motorcycle accident on Memorial Day died Tuesday, officials said. Eric Von Schnetzer, 40, died about 11:30 a.m. at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said Von Schnetzer was northbound on Philippe Parkway about 2:20 p.m. Monday when he failed to negotiate a curve. Von Schnetzer of 6702 Camden Drive, No. 202, was not wearing a helmet.
St Petersburg Times
Pinellas County
June 1, 2011

Crash sends Two People to Hospital

2011-06-08T10:41:00.000-07:00

WINTER HAVEN
Two people were hospitalized Saturday following a crash on Lucerne Park Road in Winter Haven, police said. The crash happened about 11:40 a.m. Charles Evans, 53, was headed north on Lucerne Park Road when his 2007 Chevrolet truck drifted into the southbound lane, according to Winter Haven Police Department. He struck the rear left of a car driven by Alexis Perez, 27, who was able to drive off the road.
Evans' truck hit another car driven by Elizabeth Warren, causing it to spin and land off the road, police said. Evans' truck came to rest about 200 feet from the initial crash.
Addresses of those involved in the crash were not available immediately.
Evans and Warren were flown to Lakeland Regional Medical Center. Their condition was not known at press time. Perez had minor injuries, police said. The crash remains under investigation.
Lakeland Ledger
Polk County
May 29, 2011

Woman steps in path of truck, dies

2011-06-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

POLICE BEAT
A Lake City woman who apparently walked into the traffic lanes of U.S. 441 died early Friday morning. The Florida Highway Patrol said Jeanette M. Woods, 34, of Lake City, was killed when she was hit by a 2008 Chevrolet pickup being driven by Gregory S. Williams Jr., 40, of Branford.
The 12:30 a.m. crash happened in the southbound lanes of U.S. 441 just south of the intersection of Southwest Michigan Street. Troopers said Woods was walking on the west side of the four-lane divided highway when she stepped in the path of the truck.
The front of the truck hit Woods and threw her onto the west shoulder, according to an FHP report on the accident. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Charges in the case are pending the results of Williams' blood alcohol test, troopers said.

-Karen Voyles

Motorcyclist in serious condition after accident

2011-06-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

A motorcyclist was in serious condition Saturday at Lee Memorial hospital after an accident
in Charlotte County Friday night. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Mark T. Buck, 58,
of Port Charlotte, was riding north along U.S. 41 when a Toyota Corolla pulled out from
Church Street and into his path. Buck tried to avoid the collision by veering left. The Corolla
also veered left, and his motorcycle smashed into the rear.
The driver of the Corolla, Laura Scott, 56, and her passenger, Victoria Scott, 21, both of
New Jersey, were uninjured in the crash. Buck was not wearing a helmet. Charges are pending a
Florida Highway Patrol investigation.

Bicyclist dies in crash with car near 1-75

2011-06-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

A bicyclist died late Friday after veering into the path of an oncoming car on Tice Street near
the Interstate 75 exchange. Florida Highway Patrol officers have not identified the bicyclist
who they say may have been intoxicated at the time. The driver was not impaired, trooper said, and has not been charged.
FHP is requesting the public's assistance with additional information about the crash. Witnesses
or others with information are asked to contact Cpl. Jeff Rongish at 344-1749 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TlPS to place an anonymous tip.

Witness Needed In Fatal Accident

2011-06-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

38-Year-Old Wauchula Man Died Following Foggy Crash

By JOAN SEAMAN
of The Herald-Advocate

A potential witness to a fatal crash on Saturday morning is asked to help the Florida Highway Patrol. According to the FHP report of Tpr. Jesse DeBoom, the incident happened shortly before 8 a.m. at the intersection of U.S. 17 and REA Road in heavy fog. Jimmy Lyn Giles, 38, of Wauchula, was critically injured in the crash and transported to Florida Hospital Wauchula, where he later died from his injuries. Information received by homicide investigator Cpl. Louis M. Smith Jr. indicates there was a small dark, possibly maroon, vehicle traveling east on REA Road behind one of the vehicles in the crash. Another witness used the cell phone of the female driver to call for emergency assistance. The possible witness, or anyone with additional information, is asked to contact Cpl. Smith at 1-800-993-4618, ext, 262, and leave a message. According to the preliminary report, a 1993 Kenilworth tractor-trailer driven by James Edward Smith, 55, of Mauk, Ga., traveling southbound in the inside lane of U.S. 17 was braking and began to jackknife while entering the intersection. Smith’s vehicle collided with the left side of the 1998 Dodge pickup driven by Giles, which had entered the intersection. The tractor-trailer came to rest facing north with its trailer facing west across the southbound lanes of U.S. 17 south of the intersection.
After the impact, the pickup rotated to the west shoulder of U.S. 17, traveled back and through the intersection, through a ditch on the northwest side of the intersection, coming to a final rest facing in a westerly direction on the west side of U.S. 17. Giles became the fifth fatality on Hardee County roads in 2011.
A 2004 Chevrolet Impala in the used car lot the northwest side of the intersection received
about $300 damage from debris from the crash. The pickup had about $5,000 damage and the
tractor-trailer about $15,000. In an unrelated incident of Saturday afternoon, a 48-year-
old Zolfo Springs woman died in an accident on SR 62 just west of the Hardee county line.
According to the report of FHP Tpr. Sean McCormick, Luis Paulin-Hemandez, 51, of
3546 Poplar St., Zolfo Springs, was eastbound on SR 62. Just past Duette Road, he lost control of the vehicle, rotated counterclockwise and left the roadway on the north shoulder.
The 2004 GMC 1500 then entered the ditch and overturned, with the right rear and
roof striking a tree, before it continued in the ditch on its left side. It came to rest facing east
on its left side in the ditch, said the trooper's report.
Isidora Paulin, 48, of the same Zolfo Springs address, died at the scene. The driver received minor injuries. Passenger Mario Paulin, 23, was transported to Bayfront Medical Center with critical injuries. Passenger Jorge Paulin, 21, was taken to Florida Hospital Wauchula with minor injuries. Neither the driver, nor any of the passengers was wearing a seat belt. Charges are pending further investigation.

Man in critical condition after motorcycle crash

2011-06-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

A Pensacola man was in critical condition after crashing his motorcycle Monday on Interstatee
110 south of Maxwell Street. Jeremy J. Jones, 28, was taken to Baptist Hospital after the accident at 6:30 p.m., according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Jones, who was wearing a helmet, was traveling southbound on I-110 in the inside lane, the FHP report said. For unknown reasons,
he lost control of his Kawasaki, striking a concrete bridge barrier on the east shoulder, the
FHP said. The cause is under investigation.

Police: 4 injured in 3-vehicle crash

2011-06-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

FLEEING .DRIVER
Police: 4 injured in 3-vehicle crash
By MATTHEW PLEASANT
NYT Regional Media Group

WINTER HAVEN
A 26-year-old driver fleeing from police caused a Multi-vehicle crash at U.S. 17 and Avenue G Southeast that injured him and three others, two seriously, Tuesday night, Winter Haven police
said.
The driver, Frenanadio Dwayne Washington, of 300 Lee Ave. N.W., was thrown from his vehicle, suffering head injuries, a broken shoulder and several fractured vertebrae. He was airlifted
to Lakeland Regional Medical Center.
His passenger, Lemyuel Blaine Johnson Jr., 25, of 847 Cinnamon Drive in Winter Haven, suffered facial fractures.
He was taken to Winter Haven Hospital and later was transferred to Tampa General Hospital.
Also injured were the drivers of two other cars. Angie Diaz suffered multiple pelvic fractures and a broken ankle. She was taken to Winter Haven Hospital and later was transferred to
Tampa General. Lauren Cobarrubio sustained minor injuries and was treated and released from Winter Haven Hospital, police said.
The incident began late Tuesday night, when Winter Haven police officers were in the area of Seventh Street Southwest and Avenue O investigating personal robberies, the Winter Haven Police Department said.
The officers, who were outside their unmarked vehicle, saw a car run a stop sign at that intersection about 11:20 p.m. When the officers found the car at Ninth Street Southwest and Avenue O, an officer approached the passenger side of the vehicle, signaling the driver to stop. Police said Washington drove around the officer and left the area at a high rate of speed. The fleeing vehicle ran the stop sign at Ninth Street Southwest and Avenue N. Washington’s car then drove past a marked police car that had its emergency lights on in the 600 block of Avenue M Southwest and headed north on Sixth Street Southwest. That officer turned around in an effort to catch the vehicle, but as he passed Avenue K Southwest, he turned off his lights and sirens, realizing he would be unable to do that. As the officer turned onto Avenue G Southwest, he saw Washington enter the intersection at U.S. 17 in a Ford Taurus while Cobarrubio was headed north in a Chevy Cavalier. Washington’s vehicle crashed into Diaz’s, causing her car to spin. Washington then hit Cobarrubio’s car, causing her to crash into a pole on the west side of U.S. 17, police said. Charges are pending as the investigation continues.

Report: Bicyclist injured in hit and run

2011-06-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

PORT CHARLOTTE- A Punta Gorda man was bicycling east on Harbor Boulevard, attempting
to cross U.S. 41, when he was struck by a vehicle of an unknown make an model Monday evening, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report. A witness said Raymond Earl Hembree,
53, crossed the path of a vehicle on his bike on a red traffic signal, the report shows. The vehicle
reportedly struck the bike's right side, pushing it about 50 feet and throwing Hembree off.
He then landed in the intersection in the right northbound lane.
The vehicle then left the scene, heading northbound on U.S. 41, according to the report.
The report states Hembree initially was taken to
Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers with serious
injuries, but he later was discharged.
The FHP asks anyone with information about this crash to contact
Trooper Scott Murray at 941-483-5911.

Charlotte Sun
Charlotte County
May 25, 2011
POLICE BEAT

Grandmother killed in crash at intersection

2011-06-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

PEMBROKE PINES
A driver may have run a red light in a crash Monday afternoon in Pembroke Pines that left a grandmother dead, police said. Neyda Hernandez, 51, of Pembroke Pines, was trying to make a left turn on to Pines Boulevard from Northwest 208th Avenue when her car collided with another vehicle at the intersection, police said. Hernandez was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, where she died, police said.
The crash happened about 5:30 p.m. Hernandez had her granddaughter in the backseat, but the child was not seriously injured, police said. Police indentified the driver of the other vehicle involved, a 2003 Hyundai Elantra, as Jay Lapidus, 47, of Pembroke Pines.
Witnesses said Lapidus, who suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries, was speeding and ran the red light at the intersection, police said. Lapidus has not been charged.
-Sofia Santana
Sun Sentinel
Broward County
May 25,2011

Publix employee hit in parking lot

2011-06-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

CHARLOTTE COUNTY
- A Publix employee is reported to be in critical condition after being hit by a car in the store's parking lot.
Paramedics took Betty Henley, 76, of Englewood to Lee Memorial Hospital.
Shortly after 3:30 p.m. Monday, Henley was reportedly walking toward a shopping cart return bin at the Publix at 1500 Placida Road. The Florida Highway Patrol says John T. Elliott, 83,
of Placida, was backing out of a parking space when his Toyota Camry struck the rear of another parked car, then hit Henley, the cart bin and another parked car.
FHP says charges are pending in the investigation.

Driver leaves scene of accident

2011-06-08T08:03:00.000-07:00

CHARLOTTE COUNTY-
A hit-and-run driver struck a bicyclist at U.S. 41 and Harbor Boulevard in Charlotte County late Monday. Shortly before 10 p.m., Raymond Earl Hembree, 53, reportedly crossed U.S. 41 in front of an oncoming northbound car at a traffic signal. The driver struck Hembree and continued
north. Paramedics took Hembree to Lee Memorial Hospital, where he is listed in serious condition.
Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call the Florida
Highway Patrol at (941) 483-59ll.

Softball coach gets four years in prison in fatal wreck

2011-06-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Man who was intoxicated says he’s ‘truly sorry’
BY TOM BRENNAN
The Tampa Tribune

Tampa- The coach had belted down a half-dozen beers and a couple of tequila shots at the holiday dessert social for his girls softball team. Team parents became so concerned they decided to snatch his keys, but Paul Michael Parks had sneaked out behind the wheel of his GMC pickup. About a mile away, Parks rammed head-on into a Jeep driven by Karen Weaver, who was heading home from a yuletide party on Big Bend Road. Parks never noticed the road had gone from four lanes to two and that he was driving into oncoming traffic. Weaver, 47, of Riverview, was killed. Parks, 37, pleaded guilty Thursday to driving under the influence-manslaughter in the wreck, which happened about 11:30 p.m. Dec. 19, 2009. Tests showed his blood alcohol content was 0.218, deputies said. Florida law presumes intoxication at 0.08. Hillsborough Circuit Judge Manuel A. Lopez sentenced Parks to four years in prison followed by 10 years of probation. It was the minimum punishment he could impose. Parks’ guilty plea came without any deal with prosecutors. Although sentencing guidelines called for at least 10 years in prison, Lopez said he was impressed by the parade of witnesses who spoke on Parks’ behalf, including his wife, friends, ministers and former co-workers and boss. “It was out of character for him,” the judge said. “He has shown tremendous remorse. I think he learned a great deal from this.” Parks, who had been free on $25,000 bail since turning himself in to authorities in January 2010, also spoke before being sentenced. “I am truly sorry for what happened,” he said. “I awake every day with a hole in my soul.” Parks denied having a drinking problem, although he said he swore off alcohol after the crash and has attended Alcoholic Anonymous meetings twice weekly. He said the meetings made him feel better because other people were worse off, not having the support he has received. None of Weaver’s family spoke at the sentencing. Prosecutors said Weaver’s brother, Charles Grant, was caring for his ill mother. A victim’s advocate read a letter from Grant, who asked Lopez not to give Parks any breaks. “He snuck out of that party,” Grant wrote, “he knew what he was doing.”
tbrennan@tampatrib.com
(813) 259-7698

Bicyclist dies in crash with pickup

2011-06-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

A bicyclist was killed Wednesday evening after he and a pickup collided on Alt. U.S.19 in Tarpon Springs, authorities said. The crash happened about 7:30 p.m. just south of where the road crosses Plaza Drive. Police said an unidentified male bicyclist was riding against traffic on the eastern edge of the road when he was hit by a northbound Ford utility driven by Alanzo Williams, 52, of Holiday. It was not immediately clear what led to the collision. The bicyclist
died of head injuries at the scene. He wasn’t wearing a helmet. Police were working to Identify him.
St Petersburg Times
Pinellas County
May 27, 2011

Woman killed crossing road

2011-06-08T07:44:00.000-07:00

PALM BEACH COUNTY
A woman was killed Wednesday night after she was struck by a sport utility vehicle west of Lake
Worth, a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman said. Dianna Gonzalez, 40, of West Palm Beach attempted to cross to the south side of l0th Avenue North, east of Florida Mango
Road, at 8:36 p.m., according to a report. Because she wasn't crossing at a crosswalk, she halted traffic in one of the eastbound lanes. When Gonzalez tried crossing the second of two eastbound lanes, she was struck by Abel Rosales, 35, of Boynton Beach, who was driving a 1999 Honda CRV. Gonzales was taken by ambulance to Delray Medical Center,where she was pronounced dead. Traffic homicide investigators determined that Gonzalez was either under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the accident, according to the report.
- Cynthia Roldan

Palm Beach Post
Palm Beach County
May 27,2011

Motorcycle crash kills man, woman

2011-06-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

Motorcycle crash kills man, woman
LAKELAND-A 38-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman were killed while riding a motorcycle
Monday night in Lakeland when it struck a car as it backed out of a driveway, according to the
Florida Highway Patrol.
Michael Mitts and Laura Nalley of Lakeland died at the scene on North Chestnut Road, near the intersection of lvey Lane, according to reports.
The accident happened shortly before 7:30p.m. Mitts, who was driving a 1992 Yamaha FZR 1 south on North Chestnut, struck a 1996 Ford Thunderbird, driven by Rakesha Corbett, 20, of Lakeland, as she backed out of a driveway.
To avoid the crash, Mitts applied the motorcycle's brakes, but lost control. The motorcycle
overturned onto the right side of the vehicle and slid into Corbett's car, reports said.
Mitts and Nalley, who were thrown from the motorcycle, died at the scene, troopers reported.
Mitts was not wearing a helmet, but Nalley was at the time of the collision. Corbett received minor injuries from the impact and her 10-year-old passenger, Ga-Nyha Jenkins, was not injured, reports said.
No charges have been filed in the accident.

Winter Haven News Chief
Polk County
May 18, 2011

Crash kills Ponte Vedra Beach man

2011-06-03T06:56:00.000-07:00

Crash kills Ponte Vedra Beach Man
From Staff
A 43-year-old Ponte Vedra Beach man was killed Thursday morning in a crash on U.S. 1 North near Nocatee Parkway, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report.
A woman driving northbound on U.S. 1 in a 2007 Toyota around 7 a.m. Thursday, drifted
into the median and swerved right and hard back to the left and into oncoming traffic, the
report said.
Thoman Dantin was driving southbound on U.S. 1 in his 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck when
the Toyota crossed into his lane, the report said. He swerved right in an attempt to avoid the oncoming car, but the Toyota still struck the left fender and driver's side door of the Chevrolet.
Dantin was airlifted as a trauma alert, but died, the report said.
The driver of the Toyota was also injured, but the extent of her injuries was not available.
A 2-year-old child in the Toyota was not injured, the report said.
The drivers were taken to Baptist Hospital South and Shands Hospital Jacksonville, but the report does not say who went to which hospital.
Both were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash, the report said.
Charges are pending completion of the investigation.

St Augustine Record
St Johns County
May 14,2011

Bike rider killed was Pasco man

2011-06-03T06:53:00.000-07:00

TARPON SPRINGS
Bike rider killed was Pasco man
The bicyclist killed Wednesday On Alt. U.S. l9 was identified Friday as Abimael Santiago Cancel, 38, of Holiday. Cancel was riding against traffic on the eastern shoulder of the road south of Plaza Drive when a northbound Ford utility truck hit him about 7:30 p.m., police said. Cancel, who was not wearing a helmet, died at the scene of head injuries, police said. The truck’s driver, Alanzo
Williams, 52, of Holiday, has not been charged.
St Petersburg Times
Pinellas County
May 28, 2011

Motorcyclist injured after hitting guardrail

2011-06-03T06:42:00.000-07:00

SAFETY HARBOR
Motorcyclist injured after hitting guardrail
A 40-year-old man from Tampa was seriously injured Monday afternoon when his motorcycle
crashed in Safety Harbor. Pinellas sheriff’s deputies said Eric Von Schnetzer was driving north on Philippe Parkway about 2:20 p.m. when he failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway just
north of Enterprise Road. Deputies said Von Schnetzer locked the front brakes of the motorcycle and slid into a metal pedestrian guardrail. Schnetzer, who was not wearing a helmet, was taken by helicopter to Bayfront Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. Deputies said he underwent surgery for serious head and internal wounds.
Deputies said alcohol could be a factor in the crash. An investigation is continuing.
St Petersburg Times
Pinellas County
May 31, 2011

Motorcyclist dies after crash with truck

2011-06-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

TAMPA
Motorcyclist dies after crash with truck
A 30-year-old motorcyclist died Sunday night after a collision with a pickup.
Police said Jonathan Pearson of St. Petersburg was headed west on Kennedy Boulevard about 9:30 p.m. on a 2006 Suzuki motorcycle as Joseph Rametta, 58, was driving a 1999
Toyota pickup north on Clark Street, crossing onto Kennedy
Boulevard when he apparently failed to see Pearson.
Pearson hit the brakes and his motorcycle skidded, falling
on its left side and hitting the right side of the truck just in
front of the rear wheel, police said.
Pearson was pronounced dead at Tampa General Hospital.
St Petersburg Times
Pinellas County
May 31 , 2011

Motorcycle crash kills man

2011-06-03T05:59:00.000-07:00

Police Beat
Motorcycle crash kills man
A Lake Butler man was killed Thursday afternoon in Columbia County when he drove his
motorcycle into a car that had stopped in front of him to make a turn, the Florida Highway Patrol
reported. Dead is Marshall E. Palmer, 64, according to an FHP media release.
The accident occurred about 1:50 p.m. on U.S. 441 at County Road 349.
According to FHP, Palmer was driving his 2006 Harley-Davidson motorcycle south on U.S. 441
behind a 1997 Nissan Sentra driven by Andre C. Copeland, 27, of Lake City.
Copeland was stopped in the southbound lane waiting to turn left into North Florida Livestock,
FHP reported. Palmer attempted to slow down to avoid a rear-end collision but instead went down onto his right side, FHP said. Palmer, who was wearing a helmet, was thrown from the motorcycle and hit the trunk of Copeland's car. The motorcycle slid underneath the car.
Palmer was taken to Shands at the University of Florida while Copeland
was not injured, FHP said.
-Cindy Swirko
Gainesville Sun
Alachua County
May 27, 2011

One killed, two hurt Near I-75 exit

2011-06-03T05:56:00.000-07:00

TAMPA
One killed, two
hurt near I-75 exit
A man died Sunday afternoon
in a car crash near the
Interstate 75 exit to Morris
Bridge Road. Aaron Madueke, 59, was driving north on I-75 about 1:09 p.m. in a
2000 Honda Accord when
he exited onto Morris Bridge
Road, Hillsborough County
sheriff’s officials said. He
failed to stop at a stop sign
at the exit. A 2001 Ford Expedition
traveling west then
struck the Honda, officials
said. Madueke, of Tampa,
died at the scene. His daughter,
Mary Madueke, 14, was
taken to a hospital with
nonlife-threatening injuries,
authorities said. The driver of
the Expedition, Jack Small,
52, of Valrico was uninjured.
His wife, Kimberly Small, 50,
was taken to the hospital
with minor injuries, authorities said. An investigation is
ongoing.
St Petersburg Times
Pinellas County

Woman killed in hit-and-run accident near Boca Raton

2011-05-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

Driver who left scene found at his home, officials say

By Jerome Burdi
STAFF WRITER

WEST BOCA - A woman struck and killed by a car on Thursday was
hit with such force that it left her body partially dismembered, the Palm
Beach County Sheriffs Office said. Guadalupe Corrizales, 73, who lived
west of Boca Raton, was killed about 6:30 a.m. In the eastbound lanes of
Judge Winikoff Road, just west of Hammock Street, deputies said.
Driver Ronald Falzini III, 19, left the scene, investigators said. But his
mother called the Sheriffs Office to report the crash, and deputies found
him at his home about a half·mile away, In the 10000 block of Country
Brook Road.
Falzini parked the lnfiniti G35 sedan in the driveway of an abandoned house next door, investigators said. The front of the car was crushed and smeared with blood.
Falzini had not been charged late Thursday, but he did require hospital
treatment, investigators said. There was "an odor of alcohol emanating from him and a blood sample was taken for analysis," according to the accident report.
Corrizales' family members went to the accident scene, formed a circle
and held hands while saying a prayer Thursday morning, but they declined
to comment. Neighborhood resident Jim DeFago, 84, was on his morning walk on
Judge Winikoff Road when he saw the Infiniti "zoom by."
"I thought, 'He's going to hit somebody'," DeFago said. "He must have been going 80 mph.'' The posted speed limlt on the four lane Judge Winikoff Road Is 45 mph. The investigation is ongoing, but investigators said It appears the car was speeding.

Staff researcher Barbara HiJek
contributed to this report.

Sun Sentinel
Broward County
Daily 347,700
May 13, 2011

Kawasaki hits curb, rider killed

2011-05-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

ORANGE COUNTY

A Gainesville motorcyclist was killed in Orange County
late Wednesday, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The 27-
year-old man was riding north on State Road 436, south of
Raiders Run, when the 2008 Kawasaki hit the outside curb,
then drove up onto the curb for about 30 feet. The rider lost
control and crashed into a concrete wall along the sidewalk,
troopers said. The motorcycle then slid about 230 feet,
eventually hitting a wood utility pole. The rider was pronounced
dead at a local hospital. Authorities were withholding his name until relatives could be told. No other vehicles were involved, and
there were no other injuries.

Orlando Sentinel
May 13, 2011

-Jeff Weiner

Minnesota biker dies after collision with pickup

2011-05-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

ST. PETERSBURG

A Minnesota man riding a motorcycle
was killed after he collided with pickup
Friday afternoon on Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. Street S, police Slid.
Robert J. Ross, 27, was Riding a 2001
Suzuki north when he collided with a
southbound 1996 GMC Sonoma pickup
turning left into a convenience store
parking lot in tile 1400 block, police said.
Ross of St. Paul, Minn., was pronounced
dead at Bayfront Medical Center
about three hours after the 4:50p.m.
crash, St Petersburg police said. He was
not wearing a helmet.
The driver of the pickup, Eugene Lee
Flournory, 59, of St. Petersburg, was
taken to Bayfront with minor injuries.

St Petersburg Times
Pinellas County
May 14,2011

Troopers: Witnesses chase down hit-and-rum driver

2011-05-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

Motorists who witnessed an SUV hitting a motorcyclist on I-95 chased down the SUV and held the driver until police arrived, Florida Highway Patrol troopers said.

BY JOE CAVARETTA
Sun Sentinel

An SUV driver who, troopers say, tried to flee after striking a motorcyclist on Interstate 95 in South
Broward early Sunday was chased for almost five miles, wrestled to the ground and held for the authorities by a Dania Beach man. "I ride a motorcycle,'' said John Roxey, 61, "and I wasn't going to let
him get away." Corey Rogers Seltenright, 30, of Fort L1uderdale. was arrested and charged with careless
driving, driving under the influence with serious bodily injury and property damage, and leaving the scene of a crash with injuries, according to Sgt. Mark Wysocky of the Florida Highway Patrol.
The driver of the motorcycle hit by the SUV, Ytzhak Hartzy, 42, of Aventura, was in critical but stable condition Sunday at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, FHP said. Hartzy was not wearing a helmet. Several northbound lanes of l-95 were closed for a few hours after the 8:30 a.m. crash.
Roxey said he was driving his car onto northbound I-95 from Hallandale Beach Boulevard when an SUV cut him off. Just north of the ramp, he said, the SUV hit the motorcyclist. "The motorcyclist went up in the air and then he rolled down the highway a few hundred feet," said Roxey.
He gave chase with another witness, an active-duty Army serviceman in a pickup truck on his way to
Fort Bragg, N.C. The second man did not wish to talk, and FHP didn't release his name.
The SUV, a black Kia Sorrento driven by Seltenright, continued to the Sheridan Street exit, its airbags deployed and its front right headlight dangling from the crumpled fender.
Roxey's Hyundai Accent and the second man's pickup boxed the Sorrento into the left-turn lane at Oakwood Boulevard, just east of I-95 in Hollywood.
"I yanked him out of me car and I put a headlock on him and held him on the concrete:· Roxey said.
"His partner came around to try to help him, and I kicked him and he ran away. I just held the guy until the
cops came," he said.
"The adrenaline just rushed in." The passenger, Alfredo Gracian-Silva, 41, of Lauderdale- by- th e -Sea, was not charged. "We've all had close calls - this is South Florida. Too many people don't stop,"
Roxey said.
"I'm just overwhelmed. I'm glad I got him." Asked whether people should be encouraged to do what Roxey did, Wysocky cautioned against it. "You really don't want to confront someone in a case
like this," he said. "You never know what they have in the car. But they also called 911 and me city of
Hollywood police arrived on the scene."

Miami Herald
Miami Dade County
May 16, 2011

Minor injuries in bus vs. car Friday

2011-05-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

KATHIE COLGROVE
NCR Reporter
A Nassau County school bus transporting 27 students collided with a car in Callahan Friday morning.
Two of the students complained of minor injuries. The crash occurred just after 8:30 a.m. at the intersection of · Mickler Street and Second Avenue as the bus was traveling to West Nassau High School. Following the collision, the students were transferred to Bus No.389 and transported to school, said Bus Route Coordinator Susan Malcolm.
Janice Frost, 57, of Fernandina Beach was driving Bus No. 376 northbound on Mickler Street. As she was turning left onto Second Avenue, Roberts, 47, of Callahan was driving a 2008 Chevy that was stopped in the eastbound lane of Second Avenue neat the intersection, according to a Florida Highway Patrol media release. Frost traveled across the eastbound lanes while she was turning the bus, causing the left side of the bus to collide with the front left side of Roberts' vehicle. Donald Cope, 20, of Callahan was listed as a passenger in Roberts' car, according to the
report. The Chevy sustained approximately $2,000 in damages. Frost, Roberts and Cope wore seatbelts. Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, according to the release.
Nassau County Fire Rescue personnel responded to the scene to render aid. Frost was cited for reckless driving, said FHP Lt. Joel Bill Leeper.

kcolgrovrfi!tnassaucountyrecord.com

Woman released by police, then is killed after being hit by truck

2011-05-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

Ormond Beach police first encountered the woman Thursday when she was found
passed out in a bathroom.

By Gary Taylor
STAFF WRITER

A Port Orange woman died early
Friday, about two hours after she walked
out of the Daytona Beach Police Department and was then hit by a pickup. Kimberly J. Staton, 36, of Port Orange was pronounced dead at 12:10 am. at Halifax Health Medical Center where she was taken following the crash at 10:18 p.m. Thursday, police said.
The crash occurred on Williamson Boulevard near Valor Boulevard, which is the entrance to the police department. Ormond Beach police first encountered
Staton about 12:40 pm Thursday when she was found passed out in a bathroom
and was rushed to Ormond Memorial Hospital, Daytona Beach police spokesman Jimmie Flynt said.

Daytona Beach police received a call about an unruly intoxicated person at the
hospital just before 6:30 p.m. That person was Staton, who was cleared by the hospital to leave, Flynt said. Although Staton didn't face any criminal charges, she
was taken to the police station because she was too intoxicated to be released on her
own, he said.
At 10 pm, Staton was allowed to leave, Flynt said.
According to an accident report, Staton ran across Williamson Boulevard, in a
construction area, right into the path of a pickup driven by Robert W. Fowler of Port
Orange. Fowler was traveling at tile posted speed limit of 45 mph and was unable to
stop in time to avoid hitting the woman, police said.
No charges have been filed in the crash

Orlando Sentinel
Orange County
May 7, 2011

Traffic crashes kill 3 in bay area; hit-run driver sought

2011-05-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

Three people were killed in separate accidents across the Tampa Bay area early this weekend.
A man died from injuries after he was struck by a sport utility vehicle in Tampa early Saturday
while crossing against the traffic light on 50th Street at Broadway Avenue, police said. The SUV
driver never stopped.
Aaron Keith Cordes, 57, was pushing a shopping can in the crosswalk when he was struck by
the northbound SUV, police said. Several witnesses tried to render aid to Cordes until police officers and paramedics arrived and started CPR Cordes died several hours later.
Police are searching for a black SUV, possibly a 1990s or early 2000 model, with chrome trim.
The front end may be marked with blue paint from the shopping cart.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Tampa Police Department at (813) 231-6130.

In Clearwater, a scooter driver died Friday evening after being hit by a car, city officials said.
The crash happened at Drew and NE Cleveland streets just before 9 p.m. Authorities said
a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Jennifer Ruth Knoepp, 47,of Seminole, turned in front of
the scooter and bit it The scooters driver- Malia del Carmen Ruiz de Rentetia, 44, of Pinellas
Park- died at a hospital. Her passenger - lbolonia lbrres, 41, of Clearwater - was flown to
Bayfront Medical Center with injuries that were serious but not life-threatening. Alcohol is not
believed to be a factor, authorities said. Knoepp was cited for a right-of-way violation.

And a 27-year-old Tampa man died Friday night after he lost control of his motorcycle on the
Veterans Expressway and hit a guardrail, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Christopher Mello was traveling south near Linebaugh Avenue just before midnight when he lost oontrol of his 2005 Yamaha on a curve and struck the guardrail on the west shoulder, the Highway Patrol said. He died at the scene. Mello was wearing a helmet. The incident remains under investigation.

St Petersburg Times
Pinellas County
May 15, 2011

Graceville motorcyclist killed in Friday crash

2011-05-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

A 59-year-old Graceville man was killed while riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle Friday night in Holmes County, just outside of Graceville ..
According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) report, David Allen was
struck while at the intersection of State 173 and State 2, west of Graceville. A
2005 Ford Taurus driven by 34-year-old Kimberly Miller of Noma. Was traveling southbound on SR 173 and attempted to make a left turn on to SR 2.
Miller pulled into the path of the motorcycle. The right front of her vehicle struck the front of Allen's motorcycle in the westbound traffic lane of SR 2. Allen was thrown from the
motorcycle into the eastbound traffic lane. He was taken to a Tallahassee hospital,
where he died from his injuries. Allen was not wearing a helmet at the time of the
crash, the .FHP said in the report.

Graceville News
Jackson County
Aprll7, 2011

Semi-trailer hits truck on U.S. 301

2011-05-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ronny Adalid Mejia Mungua
had a run-in with a Mac truck
Saturday evening and lived to
tell about it.
A Florida Highway Patrol
investigator said Mungua, 25,
pulled out in front of the truck,
driven by46-year-old Michael
Joseph Bennett at the intersection
of County Road 1471 and
U.S. 301. Bennett swerved to
avoid plowing into Mungua, but
instead hit the rear of Mungoua's
1996 GMC Jimmy.
Bennett's truck rotated and
then overturned on its side in
the southbound lanes of U.S.
301, blocking traffic for about 40
minutes.
Both drivers were sent to
Shands for minor injuries.
Ocala Star Banner
Marion County
April18, 2011

Motorcycle Crash Kills Two

2011-05-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

Two people are dead
after the motorcycle they
were riding in crashed in
Orlando.
The Orlando Police Department
said Miguel and Mary Luz Santiago, 35 and
37, were traveling behind
another motorcycle late
Friday evening.
The motorcycle in front
of them stopped for a traffic
light and they crashed
behind him.
They were pronounced
dead at a local hospital.
Lakeland Ledger
Polk County
April18, 2011

Dies when struck, dragged by car

2011-05-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

BCHS senior was in group drawn by fight
A Baker County High School senior is dead and a Macclenny man is in jail without bond following a fatal confrontation in a west city neighborhood the evening of April 11th. Michael Washington, 19, is charged with running down Rasbard Belford, 18, with his
car following a fight at the corner of MLK Dr. and Minnesota Ave. about 8:15.
Witnesses told police Mr. Washington got into a 2001 Chevrolet sedan parked in his yard at the intersection and aimed it for another person, who intervened in the fight involving the suspect's sisters.
Instead, he ran over Mr. Belford and the vehicle dragged him underneath as Mr. Washington did not heed others in the immediate vicinity and continued to drive in circles with the victim still under the car.
When Deputy Earl Lord arrived at the scene minutes later, the victim was lying on the pavement of MLK. He was flown to Shands Jacksonville where he later died.
Mr. Belford had cerebral palsy and a stroke in early life that affected his right arm and caused him to walk with a limp.
Witness Laconda Ruise, 36, who lives nearby, told police Mr. Washington was aiming for her son Kevohntae Hadley, 18, who
moments before got involved in the nearby fight on behalf of his sister, age 16. The melee also involved Mr. Washington's sisters,
ages 16 and 17. They were fighting over a boy. The sisters told Deputy Lord their brother was only attempting to move their mother's car out of the yard when be struck Mr. Belford with the right front. Ms. Ruise said the accused continued to attempt
running down her son even after Mr. Belford's body broke loose from the undercarriage. Mr. Washington then drove the Chevrolet back onto his mother's property and ran inside her trailer. He later surrendered without incident.
Pending an investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol, he is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He
reportedly told police he did not realize he had struck Mr. Belford, who was standing on the sidewalk west of MLK and was
one of dozens of persons who gathered in the vicinity when fight broke out. Mr. Washington made a first appearance in court early Tuesday afternoon, and is on felony probation which was violated later that day.

He was arrested last year for Battery on a county deputy during a disturbance in the same neighborhood, and pleaded to a reduced charge of resisting arrest. About 24 hours after the tragedy, a prayer vigil was organized at the street and under a massive oak tree.
Among the attendees were the victim’s parents Bo and Diane Belford. Tarrece Givins, chairman of Baker County Pastors’ and Ministers’ Council, spearheaded the vigil to call attention to the violent and unnecessary death and to, in his words, “Pray Satan ot of Baker County.” Sheriff Joey Dobson called for healing and change also. “We’re here to protect you, but we can’t raise your children for you. That must begin at home. Calm heads are what we need to proceed with now. Let’s not let the event fuel any further tragedies,” he said.

KellyWilliams, one in the team special ed teachers at Baker County High School who worked closely with Mr. Belford, was saddened at the young man’s loss. “he was a lovable, outgoing, outspoken and he didn’t let his handicap stop him. His presence in the classroom will be greatly missed,” Mr. Williams said. Mr. Williams admired Mr. Belford for his positive approach to obstacles and his ability to make other students laugh. “His dream was to be an athlete, especially a Wildcat,” he said.
Rev. Givens admired Rashard for another reason. As soon as he received the tragic news of the young man’s death, he began scrambling to put the prayer vigil together. “Rashard greatly made an impact on me two weeks ago when we held our community empowerment rally,” he said. “No one asked him, but he simply showed up wanting to help. Even with his handicap he was out the setting up tents and chairs and then helping break everything down when it was over.”
Billy Lee, who with wife Eddie Mae Fields, raised Rahard, lamented the fact that it was only himself and his wife now. “He had a stroke when he was little, he couldn’t use hand and he had a limp but he never let that stop him from doing anything,” Mr. Lee said.

The victims uncle James Rollins, who lives in Jacksonville, remembers getting the terrible phone call. “My brother told me someone had run over Roly Poly [Rashard’s nick name], they were life-flighting him to Shands, but he probably wouldn’t make it.” he said, “I couldn’t believe it. He just couldn’t move fast enough like the other who were out there, he couldn’t get out of the way.” He shook his head and looked at the ground.

“Roly Poly, all he ever wanted to do was help you. He would give you the shirt from his back, that’s how he was.”

Auburndale Man Killed in Crashon State Road 60

2011-05-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

A 26-year-old Auburndale
man died in a head-on
crash on State Road 60
east of Lake Wales late
Saturday, the 'Polk County
Sheriff's Office said.
Phillip Craig Durden, of
209 Ariana Ave_, the driver
of a 2002 Ford F-150 that
was pulling a ·trailer, was
killed, deputies reported.
About 10:30 p.m, Durden
was traveling east in the
westbound lanes of
S.R. 60 west of Capps Road,
sheriff's spokeswoman
Donna Wood said. His
truck collided with a 1997
International tractor-trailer
filled with citrus molasses
that was traveling west on
the highway.
The tractor-trailer
crossed the median and
blocked eastbound lanes.
Durden's truck caught fire,
reports said. Durden died
at the scene. It wasn't immediately
known whether
he was wearing a seat belt,
Wood said.
The driver of the tractor-trailer,
Jay Michael Batson,
41, of Tindel Camp Road in
Lake Wales, who was wearing
a seat belt, was treated
at Lake Wales Medical
Center and was released.
The accident closed
S.R. 60 until5 a.m Sunday,
officials said.
Lakeland Ledger
Polk County
April 18, 2011

Man arrested, woman hospitalized after rollover crash

2011-05-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

A rollover crash in Floral City put a woman in the hospital and a man behind bars on DUI charges.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Steven M. Dickson, 62, was driving east on County Road 48 near Istachatta Road shortly before 10:30 p.m. Thursday when an animal darted into the road.

Troopers said Dickson swerved to miss the animal and drove onto the south shoulder, where his Chevrolet SSR to overturned.

Both Dickson and his passenger, Deborah A. Dickson, 62, were thrown from the vehicle.

Deborah Dickson was taken by air to Tampa General Hospital with serious injuries.

Steven Dickson was arrested after troopers said he smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes. His breath test registered at 0.155, which is nearly twice the legal limit, investigators said.

Dickson was taken to Citrus County Jail on charges of driving under the influence with serious injury.

for more information please visit: http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2011/may/244504/Man-arrested-woman-hospitalized-after-rollover-crash

Dangerous Hernando Co. curve to become safer

2011-05-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

Busted up fence posts and a roadside memorial are just a few indications that something bad happened along a Hernando County road.

In the past few months two people were killed after they lost control of their cars along a curve on Mondon Hill Road near Bertram Road.

Fred Munao lives nearby and remembers the most recent wreck last month.

"The car was still running on its side and everything," he said. "It was pretty bad, sad, a young girl."

Hernando County leaders realize the curve is dangerous so they're going to try and make it safer. The plan is to add some warning signs, reflective posts and make speed limit signs bigger.

County officials say those improvements should be done in the next couple of weeks.

"That's good," Munao said. "At least they are doing something."

County leaders are also going to do a road safety analysis of Mondon Hill Road to find other dangerous spots.

for more information please visit: http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2011/may/245265/Dangerous-Hernando-Co-curve-to-become-safer

Severe weather causes fatal accident

2011-05-15T19:09:00.000-07:00

A 48-year-old woman died from her injuries after a car accident that occurred on SR 62 East of Duette Road Saturday afternoon.

According to the report, the driver of the truck, Luis Paulin-Hernandez, 51, lost control while traveling eastbound on SR 62 because of the inclement weather.

Officials say the truck spun and overturned into a ditch before hitting a tree.

Paulin-Hernandez received minor injuries and was transported to Florida Hospital in Wachula.

Paulin-Hernandez's passenger, Isidora Paulin, 48, was pronounced dead at the scene.

for more information please visit: http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2011/may/245206/Severe-weather-causes-fatal-accident

Motorcyclist killed, deputy hurt during two-county pursuit

2011-05-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

A motorcyclist was killed and a Pasco County deputy injured after a traffic stop turned into a two-county pursuit.

According to reports, Dep. Ashley Grady stopped a Dodge Ram pick-up truck on suspicion of DUI at about 7:19 a.m. Tuesday at the intersection of U.S. 19 and Florestate Drive in Hudson.

Deputies said the suspect, later identified as 21-year-old Brittany Elizabeth Miles of Spring Hill, had been handcuffed when she somehow got back into the truck and took off with Grady reaching into the window to stop her from fleeing.

Officials said Miles drove across three lanes of U.S. 19 with Grady hanging from the window, deputies said. Grady fell off the truck in the southbound lanes.

Miles then fled north into Hernando County on U.S. 19. She was approaching the intersection with County Line Road when she sped through a red light, investigators said.

Henry F. McCain, 66, was heading west on County Line Road in the left turn lane and had just entered the intersection when Miles crashed into him, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

McCain was declared dead at the scene.

Barbara Stern was in her car at the intersection of U.S. 19 and County Line road at the time.

"Everything went through the air," she said. "It just went through the air. Metal was flying everywhere."

Stern said she almost became part of the chaos.

"A couple of seconds later it would have been me," Stern said. "I had an angel watching over me."

Beth Richards saw debris from the crash a half-a-mile away.

"It almost looked as if there was a fire starting in the distance but it was dirt," she said, "so you know something happened ahead."

Miles continued north, despite flat tires on her truck, until she was arrested by deputies near Spring Hill Drive and U.S. 19, the report said.

Grady was taken by helicopter to a local hospital. She suffered a head injury and scrapes, but she is expected to be okay.

The Florida Highway Patrol has charged Miles with homicide in addition to charges filed by the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. Miles, the daughter of a Hernando County Sheriff's deputy, remains in jail in Hernando County.

FHP is asking any witnesses to the crash involving Miles and the motorcyclist to call 352-754-6767.

for more information please visit: http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2011/may/242111/Motorcyclist-killed-deputy-hurt-during-twocounty-pursuit

Driver sought in fatal pedestrian accident

2011-05-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

Tampa Police are investigating a hit-and-run in which a driver killed a pedestrian in Tampa.

According to the report, Aaron Cordes was pushing a shopping cart across 50th Street on Broadway in the crosswalk against the traffic light when the driver of an SUV, who had a green light, hit Cordes.

Investigators say the driver continued northbound on 50th Street without stopping to help Cordes.

Several witnesses stopped to help Cordes before Tampa Police and Fire Rescue responded.

Cordes was rushed to the hospital, where he later died several hours later.

The suspect vehicle is described as a 1993-94 black or dark-colored Ford Explorer with chrome trim. The vehicle should have right front-end damage, which may consist of blue paint from the shopping cart Cordes was pushing. The right front turn signal lens cover will also be damaged.

The Tampa Police Department is actively working this case and asking anyone to call (813-231-6130) if they see this vehicle or if they have any additional information about this fatality.

for more information please visit: http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2011/may/245042/Driver-sought-in-fatal-pedestrian-accident

Wreck lands baby, woman in hospital

2011-05-02T17:06:00.000-07:00

Wreck lands baby,
woman in hospital
A Putnam County woman and
a baby were hospitalized with
injuries Tuesday night after an
accident north of State Road
100, according to a Florida
Highway Patrol news release.
Taken to Shands at the
University of Florida in critical
condition was Megan Michaela
Mackie, 22, of 104 Homestead
Road, as was a baby in serious
condition. The baby's name
was not released. The accident
occurred at 7:57p.m. on
County Road 3090 north of
State Road 100.
Mackie was driving a 1999
Ford Escort north on CR 3090
when she drifted off the road to
the left, hit a culvert, went
airborne, struck branches on a
pine tree and overturned to
land on the roof, the release
stated.
Mackie was wearing her seat
belt and the infant was in a
restrained child seat. They had
to be removed from the car
with a cutting tool while
witnesses said they put out a
small fire with water.
FHP is continuing to investigate
why Mackie drove off the
road.
- Cindy Swirko
Gainesville Sun
Alachua County
April21, 2011

Man arrested on DUI, drug charges

2011-05-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

Man arrested on DUI, drug charges
after crashing car into shoppers
A Sanibel Island man was arrested Monday after his car
jumped a sidewalk at a south Fort Myers store, injuring
three elderly people.
Curtis Vincent Gates Jr., 39, of the 1500 block of Periwinkle
Way, was charged with driving while under the influence
of alcohol or drugs, producing drugs and three counts of
property damage.
According to Lee County Sheriff's Office reports:
About 3:30 p.m., a 1993 Ford Taurus plowed into a cart on
Gates
injured.
the front sidewalk of Dollar General, 8750
Gladiolus Drive.
"The cart slammed one victim into the
door, breaking the glass, and the other was
thrown through the open door onto the
ground inside the store," the deputy wrote.
A woman was taken to a hospital as a trauma
alert because of low blood pressure. Her
husband was brushed by the car and not
seriously injured. Another man also was
The victims are in their late 80s and from Fort Myers,
according to the report. Their names were not immediately
released.
Gates told witnesses his car's brakes went out as he backed
into a parking spot. Instead of checking on the victims, he
checked the brake fluid. He told a deputy the power steering
unit went out
As deputies spoke to him, he put a white pill in his mouth
and said it was Tylenol, then said: "I mean nothing." The
driver continued to talk to deputies and a small white
chunk fell from his mouth to the ground. It was identified
as Xanax.
He passed out in the patrol car on the way to jail and
again at the jail.
Gates failed field sobriety tests but refused to take a
breath test, saying: "(Expletive) it. I can ride my bike to
work for that."
Naples Daily News
Collier County
April 20,2011

School bus involved in accident

2011-05-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

School bus involved in accident
Roger R. West
Last Thursday started out as any
other normal school day for 12-yearold
Jessica Hartman of Hilliard,
however that all changed in a blink of
the eye. Her school bus stopped on US
1 in front of Buford Grove Baptist
Church. As she made her way onto the
bus and preceded down the aisle to her
seat, a semi log hauler careened into'
the rear of the bus. Jessica was thrown
to the floor as the bus was hurled
forward from the impact. Jessica was
the only student on the bus at the time
of the accident. ·
Luckily for Jessica and the school
bus driver Janet Jones, neither received
serious injuries. Jessica was
transported to Shands Hospital by
Nassau County Fire Rescue for
precautionary measures with minor
injuries. Mrs. Jones complained only of
minor leg pain at the scene. The truck
driver was not. injured.
James Cothern of Blackshear, Georgia was driving his log truck north
on US 1 heading back to Georgia after
an early morning haul to the mill. He
stated he did not see the school bus
stopped in the road in time to stop his
rig. Cothern was charged as the at-fault
driver in the accident. The Florida
Highway Patrol reported that Mrs.
Jones had properly stopped the bus
with its warning . lights on and stop
signs deployed. •
Westside Journal
Nassau County
April 21 , 2011

1 dead in Yellow River Bridge wreck

2011-05-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

1 dead in Yellow River Bridge wreck
By Bill Gamblin
news@srpressgazette.com
State Road 87 was closed for several
hours Friday while authorities investigated
a fatality at the Yellow River
Bridge.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol
press release, Lamar Archie, 26,
of Navarre, was pronounced dead by a
lifeguard paramedic at the scene of the
6:15 a.m. traffic accident April 8 on the
Yellow River Bridge.
The FHP release stated that Archie
was northbound on State Road 87
when, for unknown reasons, he traveled
across the center line.
Ryan Thomas Lipsey, 23, of Grand
Ridge, was headed south on State 87 in
a Peterbilt truck and moved to the right
emergency lane to avoid Archie's car.
The FHP report indicated the front
of Archie's car struck the left front of
the truck driven by Lipsey, which was ·
on the painted white "fog" line for
southbound traffic.
Lipsey refused treatment at the
scene, and charges are pending the
completion of the traffic homicide investigation.
Traffic Friday morning was being
diverted at Hickory Hammock Road on
the north side, and East Bay Boulevard
on the south side during the investigation
at the sc.ene. Alternate routes of
State 85 or the Garcon Point Bridge
were suggested by law enforcement.
The toll was not lifted to cross the
Garcon Point Bridge.
Santa Rosa Press Gazette
April 13, 2011

Three Oaks Middle teacher injured in Alico Road crash

2011-04-14T06:32:00.000-07:00

LEE COUNTY — A Lee County teacher was severely injured Monday morning in an early morning crash near the intersection of Alico Road and Ben Hill Griffin Parkway. Lee County School District spokesman Joe Donzelli said the driver injured in one of the vehicles was William “Skip” Perry, band director at Three Oaks Middle School. No additional information about Perry’s condition was available. Donzelli said the district will have grief counselors on available to students and teachers Tuesday. “All those preparations for people to remain in standby were made tonight,” he said. According to Florida Highway Patrol, Perry was driving a 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse east on Alico Road, while fellow Fort Myers resident Michael Dewayne Bertsch was driving a 2006 Peterbuilt semi-truck west on Alico Road. FHP reports said that at around 8:44 a.m. Perry’s Eclipse crossed the center line and hit the left front side of the truck. After the impact, FHP reports said that the Eclipse rotated counter clockwise and came to a final rest on the east bound lane facing south. The truck continued eastbound and came to a final rest facing west. Perry was airlifted to Lee Memorial Hospital in critical condition. The accident shut down Alico Road at Ben Hill Griffin Parkway in Lee County for several hours, and a HAZMAT crew had to clean diesel fuel from the accident off the road before it could be reopened. FHP reports said charges are pending in the accident. for more information please visit: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2011/apr/11/three-oaks-middle-william-skip-perry-alico-crash/

Lakeland Teen Struck by Car Listed in Serious Condition

2011-04-14T06:25:00.000-07:00

A 14-year-old girl who was struck by a car Tuesday morning while attempting to walk across North Socrum Loop Road near Lake Gibson Middle School, was listed in serious condition in the Tampa General Hospital Children's Medical Center on Wednesday morning. Alexis Spiker, of 6950 N. Socrum Loop Road, in Lakeland, was taken to Tampa General Hospital on Tuesday night. Witnesses said about 6:45 a.m. Spiker walked into the path of a 1994 Toyota Celica driven by Morgan Taylor Thompson, 18, of 4336 Knight Station Road, in Lakeland, according to the Florida Highway Patrol's crash report. Spiker was trying to cross North Socrum Loop Road from east to west in front of the middle school. She was thrown about 30 feet from the impact, the report said. for more information please visit: http://www.theledger.com/article/20110412/news/110419807

Child struck, killed when truck backs over her

2011-04-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- A 4-year-old girl died after she was run over by a pickup truck being worked on outside her home. Authorities say Jalessa Gonzalez was struck about 5:12 p.m. Monday. Lee County Sheriff's deputies say 43-year-old Damon J. Drouin was in the driver's seat of a Chevy Silverado when his friend asked him to move the truck so he could continue working on the stereo system. He struck the child after putting the truck in reverse. Drouin was arrested on multiple charges of driving with a suspended driver's license. Deputies say Drouin has a history of criminal traffic violations, including DUI. He is being held in Lee County Jail and bond was denied. for more information please visit: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/12/2163029/child-struck-killed-when-truck.html

Woman airlifted after head-on collision

2011-04-14T06:16:00.000-07:00

SEBRING -- A woman was airlifted to Tampa Saturday morning after a head-on collision on Memorial Drive. The crash occurred at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Sunset Drive just before 11 a.m.. The two vehicles involved, a Saturn and a Rent-A-Center van, were headed in opposite directions on Memorial. "The van was headed northbound on Sunset and she was headed southbound," Highlands County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Barry Jones said. The West Sebring Volunteer Fire Department, several deputies, along with several on-lookers were on the scene. None of the on-lookers witnessed the accident. "They hit head-on; it looks like she crossed over into the other lane," said Florida Highway Patrol Trooper John Paikai. Jones echoed Paikai's observations, agreeing that the female driver of the Saturn had crossed into the northbound lane, though there was no concrete answer why she had. "He (driver of the van) is OK I think, just a scratch on the head and ear," Paikai said, but the driver of the Saturn wasn't so lucky. "She's being transported to Tampa for head trauma." The driver of the van was treated on site and was not transported to the hospital. The unidentified female driver was pulled from her vehicle by a handful of Highlands County EMT's and volunteer firefighters. The woman repeatedly told Paikai that she had been wearing her seatbelt, however Paikai and Jones are not completely sure the driver had been strapped in. "You can tell when a seatbelt was worn. There are indentations across the chest and the lap and I didn't see any," Jones said. Traffic along Memorial came to a short standstill as the accident site was cleaned up and the drivers were treated and transported. The accident is under investigation. for more information please visit: http://www.newssun.com/040311-sg-Memorial-Crash

Pedestrian Killed in Early Morning Crash on SR 50

2011-04-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

A 24-year-old woman who ran directly into the path of a vehicle, died on the spot after she was struck on SR 50, east of Old Cheney Highway in Orange County, troopers said. Florida Highway Patrol said, Alicia Stokes, of Orlando, who was in the parking lot of Mr. Sisters, ran across the eastbound lanes of SR 50, into the direct path of a Toyota Camry driven by 37-year-old Nicole Williams, also of Orlando. The accident happened just after 1:30 am, on Saturday. Troopers said, the right front of Williams’ vehicle struck Stokes, who was pronounced dead on the spot by the medical examiner. Williams was not hurt as a result of the crash. No charges are pending, troopers said. for more information please visit: http://westorlandonews.com/2011/04/09/pedestrian-killed-in-early-morning-crash-on-sr-50/

Police identify man who died in Port St. Lucie crash Monday

2011-04-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

PORT ST. LUCIE — The motorcycle rider who died following a Monday night crash at Southwest Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Southwest Chestnut Lane has been identified as Jeffery Stone, police said Wednesday. St. Lucie County Fire District crews at 9:50 p.m. Monday were called to the reported collision involving a car and a motorcycle, Fire District spokeswoman Catherine Chaney has said. The motorcycle is thought to have been traveling at speeds greater than 100 mph before crashing into the car, Officer Tom Nichols, Port St. Lucie police spokesman, has said. Stone, 25, died at the scene, while a woman in her late teens was flown to a local trauma center in stable condition. The woman was driving the car. for more information please visit: http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/apr/06/police-identify-man-who-died-in-port-st-lucie/?partner=yahoo_feeds

I-4 crash kills Orlando man

2011-04-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

A 22-year-old man died in a crash on westbound Interstate 4 Sunday and one of his passengers is in serious condition. Florida Highway Patrol troopers said Ali Muhammad Chehab, of Orlando, died when his Toyota Scion flipped on I-4 south of State Road 436. Troopers said Chehab was driving on the inside lane when another driver suddenly veered their car into his lane without using a turn signal. Chehab veered quickly to the left and drove off the roadway. He steered right and then left again, causing his car to overturn at least once. Officials said Chehab was partially ejected. He died at Florida Hospital Altamonte. Passenger Stanley Augustin, 20, of Kissimmee, is listed in serious condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center. The other two passengers in Chehab's vehicle were not injured in the crash. FHP investigators said Chehab and Augustin were not wearing their seat belts. Troopers said the driver of the car that veered into Chehab's lane didn't stop. for more information please visit: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-04-11/news/os-fatal-crash-seminole-20110411_1_orlando-man-crash-troopers

Cocoa couple killed in motorcycle crash

2011-04-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

KISSIMMEE — A husband and wife from Cocoa died when a pickup truck turned into the path of their motorcycle on U.S. 192 in Osceola County. The Florida Highway Patrol says 55-year-old James Hudson and 56-year-old Mary Hudson died Sunday afternoon. Officials say 22-year-old Ashley Williams was driving the pickup truck, which was stopped at a stop sign before turning into the direct path of the motorcycle. Williams was treated for minor injuries at a hospital. The Highway Patrol says the accident remains under investigation and charges are pending. for more information please visit: http://www.app.com/article/A9/20110404/NEWS01/110404001/Cocoa-couple-killed-motorcycle-crash

Key Largo man dies when struck by truck

2011-04-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

A Key Largo man was killed Thursday when his bicycle was hit from behind on County Road 905 on North Key Largo. Gil Grove, 57, was riding south along the two-lane road to the Ocean Reef Club when he was struck from behind by a pickup truck, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The 11:30 a.m. accident took place about four miles north of the intersection with U.S. 1 at mile marker 107, said FHP Lt. Alex Annunziato. Grove died at the scene, Annunziato said. The pickup, also headed south, was driven by Francisco J. Revuelta, 32, of Homestead. No charges have been filed pending additional investigation. Memorial arrangements, still being finalized, are being handled by Beyer Funeral Home of Key Largo. Grove's death is the fourth traffic-related fatality on roads south of Florida City this year. for more information please visit: http://www.keysnet.com/2011/04/02/325034/key-largo-man-dies-when-struck.html

Bicyclist critically hurt in crash on U.S. 441 near Micanopy

2011-04-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

A bike rider from New Jersey was critically injured Monday afternoon after going through the windshield of a Honda Civic on U.S. 441. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Jayne Henry, 54, was apparently on her way back to Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park — where she had been earlier in the day — when she pulled in front of a Honda Civic on U.S. 441. Trooper Richard Crawford said Henry was headed south in the bike lane alongside U.S. 441. As Henry approached the left turn lane for the park entrance on Savannah Road, “She traveled across both southbound lanes directly in front [of the Honda], which caused the left side of the bicycle to collide with the right front of the [Honda],” Crawford wrote in a report on the accident. Following the impact, Henry became airborne and went through the windshield of the car, Crawford said. The car was being driven by April Ford, 19, of Summerfield. Ford and her passenger, Shaquita James, 18, were not physically injured, according to FHP, but were badly shaken by the accident. Henry was airlifted to Shands at the University of Florida in extremely critical condition with life-threatening injuries. The four-lane highway was closed briefly following the 3:45 p.m. accident to allow the Shands helicopter to land. Then one lane of the highway was opened in each direction to give troopers and others time and space to investigate the physical evidence at the scene. All four lanes of the highway had been reopened by sunset, troopers said. for more information please visit: http://www.ocala.com/article/20110411/articles/110419954

Orlando Boy Struck, Killed While Riding Scooter

2011-04-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

Boy, 7, Struck And Killed While Riding Scooter An Orlando boy was struck and killed by a car while riding his scooter in an apartment complex parking lot. Police said 7-year-old Alberto De Alba darted in front of a car driven by Merline Jean about 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The accident happened at the Ridge Club Apartments in Orlando. The boy was taken to a hospital, where he died. Authorities said he was not wearing a helmet. Police said no charges were filed against the driver. for more information please visit: http://www.theledger.com/article/20110411/NEWS/110419892/1374?Title=Boy-7-Struck-And-Killed-While-Riding-Scooter-

Man loses balance, fatally hit by truck

2011-04-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

A 69-year-old man died after losing his balance, falling into the road and getting hit by a truck Monday afternoon, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report. Authorities are withholding the pedestrian's name until his relatives are notified. The accident happened about 1 p.m., as Donald A. Buck Jr., 43, of Tarpon Springs was driving his 2011 Ford F-450 truck north on Seven Springs Boulevard, south of State Road 54. Buck swerved, but was unable to avoid hitting the man who fell in the street, the FHP said. The agency has determined Buck was not at fault. for more information please visit: http://www.tampabay.com/news/article1163165.ece

Fort Lauderdale truck driver killed crossing I-75 after crash

2011-04-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

A truck driver from Fort Lauderdale died on Interstate 75 on Friday after his rig was in a crash and he tried to cross the highway on foot in the predawn darkness. Lucas Joseph Folino, 36, was driving south around 6 a.m. when his truck hit the back of another tractor-trailer and jackknifed into the median, the Florida Highway Patrol said. After leaving his cab, Folino was hit by a northbound car and died at the scene, investigators said. It is the fourth time in recent months that motorists have exited vehicles on busy South Florida highways and were fatally struck by fast-moving traffic. for more information please visit: http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-04-08/news/fl-interstate-75-accident-20110408_1_truck-driver-busy-road-early-morning-crash

Clearwater motorcyclist injured in hit-and-run

2011-04-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

TAMPA - A Clearwater motorcyclist was injured Friday night when a car pulled in front of him, deputies said. Gregory Conklin, 52, of 2134 Bradford St., was thrown 30 feet from his 1991 Harley-Davidson about 11:30 p.m. at Fisher and Curlew roads. He was not wearing a helmet, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said. Conklin was in good condition tonight at St. Joseph's Hospital, a hospital spokesman said. Investigator said a 2007 Pontiac G-5 made a U-turn in front of Conklin. The driver, Lajune B. Castro, 60, of 2500 Winding Creek Blvd. in Clearwater, left the scene but was later found in a parking lot at U.S. 19 and Curlew Road, deputies said. Castro wasn't injured. The crash remains under investigation. for more information please visit: http://www2.tbo.com/content/2011/apr/09/092017/clearwater-motorcyclist-injured-in-hit-and-run-cra/

Ruskin coupled killed in two-vehicle crash

2011-04-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

RUSKIN - A Ruskin couple was killed late Friday in a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of US Highway 41 and Cockroach Bay Rd. Clarence W. Bassett Jr., 82, and Sallie Bassett, 70, were pronounced dead at the scene just after 11pm. According to a Florida Highway Patrol report Bassett Jr. was driving east on Cockroach Bay Rd. in his 2001 Chevrolet Colorado when he entered US 41, directly into the path of a 2003 Ford Expedition. The driver of the Expedition, 32-year-old Vincent Clavel-Menjivar, was unable to avoid a collision and struck the left side of the Colorado. Bassett’s vehicle overturned onto its left side. Clavel-Menjivar and a passenger in his vehicle, 32-year-old Gloria Cortez, both suffered minor injuries. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. for more information please visit: http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/hillsborough/ruskin_fatal_crash040911