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President:
Melissa Wandall
:
State Rep. Ron Reagan
Sheryl Bradley
Peggy Klimek
Lori Mellman
Neil Spirtas
Adam Tuton
In Memory
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UPDATED: Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Behind each and every number is a tragic story, leaving shattered lives, broken families and emotional trauma for years to come.
Melissa & Mark
Mark Jeffrey Wandall died Oct. 24, 2003 -- 19 days before his daughter Madison's birth and just blocks from the family's newly built home. Wandall, 30, was killed at Tara Boulevard and State Road 70 by a driver who ran a red light. Wife Melissa Wandall is determined that her daughter Madison will grow up to embrace her father's memory and appreciate what she vows will become his life-saving legacy.
Melissa has created a foundation in her husband's honor The Mark Wandall Foundation. It raises money and donates to several causes, including an athletic scholarship at his alma mater, Sarasota High School.
Her most pressing cause, however, is the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act.
On March 29, 2008, a 42-year-old woman with twice the legal blood-alcohol level ran a red light and struck and killed motorcyclist James Dean who died at the scene. (Source: TBO.com)
On March 13, 2008, 47-year-old Lori Haynes was killed when a 25-year-old Parrish man ran a red light at the intersection of State Road 70 and 37th Street East Thursday afternoon. (Source: Bradenton Herald)
On December 9, 2007, a 78-year-old Estero woman died after a crash on U.S. 41 and Broadway in Estero. The woman was heading eastbound on Broadway and making a left turn to northbound U.S. 41 when she was struck by a Ford pickup heading south on U.S. 41. She had a green light when she turned, according to Cpl. Juan Quintana’s crash report. The other driver was charged with running a red light and was not injured when he struck the left-front side of the woman’s Toyota. (Source: News-Press.com)
On February 17, 2007 a Sunday afternoon crash killed a 68-year-old motorcyclist in Ormond Beach, FL. William Carl Cramer of Ormond Beach died at the scene of the 12:35 p.m. crash at South Nova Road and Woodlands Boulevard. Cramer was southbound on a 1999 Kawasaki when he ran a red light at the intersection. He crashed the motorcycle into the front fender and bumper area of a 2001 Chevrolet pickup truck driven. (Source: OrlandoSentinel.com)
On December 28, 2007, former baseball pro Jim Leyritz may have been distracted and taken his eyes off the road when he ran a red light that led to a fatal crash in Fort Lauderdale. Leyritz, of Davie, had been out celebrating his 44th birthday the night of Dec. 27 with a group of friends in Fort Lauderdale. Veitch, a 30-year-old bartender, had worked a late shift and was hanging out with friends at a bar in Fort Lauderdale. (Source: MiamiHerald.com)
On December 6, 2007, 15-year-old Grant Aleo was a passenger in a car southbound on California Street (Spring Hill) along with two others, 16-year-old Megan Baily and 15-year-old Ronnie Parrott. Behind the wheel was 16-year-old Amanda Pappert. Pappert ran the red light at the Powell Road intersection and her car was broadsided by another car headed east, according to FHP. An independent witness told authorities that the car on Powell had a full green light. The impact caused Pappert's car to strike a traffic signal control box and overturn. Three people were ejected because they were not wearing seat belts, authorities said. All four in Pappert's car were taken to Tampa General Hospital. The other car's driver, 56-year-old Mary Labarr, was treated at Brooksville Regional Hospital. Doctors kept Grant alive long enough for his family to say goodbye. In addition to his mother, he leaves behind a father, Scott Aleo; two sisters, Kristen Hoxsie and Jordan Aleo; and a brother, Justin Aleo. (Source: HernandoToday.com)
On November 3, 2007, Jose Matamoros died after he ran a red light and slammed into a pole. Mr. Matamoros, 25, of Davie was heading on Sample Road when he ran a red light and then slammed into the passenger side of a vehicle that was turning left from Holiday Spring/Woodside Drive, said Sgt. Joe McHugh of Coral Springs. Police say Matomors' car then hit a pole. Authorities say the person in the other vehicle was not injured. (Source: CBS4 Miami)
On September 24, 2007, a 19-year-old Jacksonville man was involved in a two-vehicle crash in Alachua. Joshua Smith, who graduated in 2006 from Terry Parker High School, was driving a pickup truck when it collided Monday with a semitruck at Interstate 75 and U.S. 441. Smith was taken with critical injuries to Shands Hospital, where he was pronounced dead several hours after the crash. Preliminary reports and witness statements indicated Smith ran a red light prior to the crash with the semi, driven by 60-year-old William Ryan Jr. (Source: Jacksonville.com)
On August 6, 2007, a central Florida man ran a red light and struck another vehicle, killing four family members. Kelvin Antonio Mutch Jr., 20, was charged Friday with vehicular homicide in the Aug. 6 crash, which scattered bodies across an Orange County road. Witnesses estimated the 1994 Chevrolet Caprice was moving at up to 80 mph in a 25-mph zone. The Caprice ran a red light and hit a 1997 Chevrolet Lumina, which struck a concrete pole, crash records show. The crash killed 10-month-old Marquis Jackson; his mother, Anethea Stanley, 20; Stanley's sister, Shantrilla Stanley, 21; and their 39-year-old cousin, Rhonda Demonia. Great-grandmother Brenda Whitaker, 42, survived, but she suffered incapacitating injuries, records show. (Source: TBO.com)
On August 17, 2007, a fatal crash involving two vehicles occurred at the intersection of Curlew and Belcher Roads in Dunedin. According to investigators, the driver of the Saturn SUV was stopped in the left hand turn lane on Curlew Road eastbound at the intersection of Belcher Road. The driver of the Lexus was headed westbound on Curlew Road. Witnesses told deputies they saw the driver of the Lexus who was traveling at a high rate of speed, run the red light at the intersection of Belcher Road, cross the lane onto oncoming traffic and strike the Saturn SUV head-on. Deputies say the impact caused the Saturn SUV to be pushed back a distance from the intersection. Debris from the crash broke a window of a private residence. The driver of the Lexus, 26 year-old Jonathan Senger of Palm Harbor was transported by ambulance to Mease Dunedin Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The driver of the Saturn SUV, 59-year-old Nancy Wagenfohr of Tarpon Springs was transported by air to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg with non-life threatening injuries. Ms. Wagenfohr survived the collision but faces a difficult recovery of function of her damaged ankle, foot and leg. (Source: Pinellas County Sheriffs Office Press Release)
On August 2, 2007, 34 year-old Danielle Harrison Edwards of Palm Harbor was killed in a crash in the area of Milwaukee Avenue in Dunedin. A driver ran a red light at Beltrees Road and struck the car. (Source: E.W. Scripps Company)
On July 29, 2007, Marcus Anton Milton of Jacksonville died and his passenger went to the hospital after a police officer saw him speed by him and run a red light before his vehicle flipped seconds later. The crash happened on Boulevard Street near West 12th Street. Firefighters rushed Milton's 20-year-old passenger Victoria Young to Shands Jacksonville hospital after the crash. She was listed in good condition Monday, according to the hospital. (Source: Jacksonville.com)
On July 10, 2007, a 20-year-old driver with a history of violations ran a red light, killing a 57-year-old woman from Hollywood. Victor Exposito, of Hialeah, crashed his 2001 Toyota into Beverly Bowman's 2000 Ford Mustang about 11 p.m., Pembroke Pines Police Sgt. John Gazzano said Wednesday. Bowman was driving east on Taft Street. Exposito, who was southbound on Flamingo Road, did not stop for the red light at the intersection. Bowman died at the scene. Ms. Bowman was a longtime employee of the Pembroke Pines Fire Department, where she recently worked in payroll, according to her ex-husband, David Day, of Coral Springs. She also worked part-time at Pines Ice Arena on Taft Street and had just left work at the arena Tuesday night when the accident occurred. Bowman was a mother of three. (Source: Sun-Sentinel.com)
On June 14, 2007, a motorist was involved in a fatal crash in Palm Bay. Police said Jonathan Dunn, 58, who was driving a Lexus, tried to make a left on to Minton Road at about 6:30 p.m. when he was struck by a Ford F-250 truck. Several witnesses said the truck never slowed down as he was traveling northbound on Minton Road approaching a red light at the intersection of Emerson Drive. Mr. Dunn died at the scene. (Source: YahooNews.com)
On May 26, 2007, an 83-year-old Ormond Beach woman died after police said she failed to stop at a red light, crashed into another vehicle and struck a palm tree. Jean Branigan was traveling south on U.S. Highway 1 in Ormond Beach about 9:15 a.m. She ran a red light at the intersection of Wilmette Avenue, and struck another Toyota going east on Wilmette. (Source: orlandosentinel.com)
On April 27, 2007, a 19-year-old Brooksville man was killed at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Powell Road when the vehicle he was riding in was struck by a postal truck, Florida Highway Patrol said. Andrew Cuthbertson was pronounced dead at the scene. He was on leave from the U.S. Army and was less than two weeks away from returning to Iraq, according to local media reports. Cuthbertson was traveling westbound along Powell in a 1994 Chevrolet pickup truck when it ran a red light and crossed the path of oncoming traffic, troopers said. (Source: hernandotoday.com)
On March 24, 2007, a Melbourne man, Michael Sokol, 50, died on impact when he drove his Harley-Davidson through a red light and collided with a Hyundai sport utility vehicle on Merritt Island, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report. He tried to brake his motorcycle but it overturned onto its left side and skidded into the front right of the Hyundai. He received fatal head injuries, the report said. Sokol is at least the 10th motorcyclist this year to die in Brevard traffic. Twenty people died in motorcycle accidents last year. (Source: floridatoday.com)
On March 12, 2007, a woman died when a VW Jetta collided with her Ford Mustang at the intersection of University Parkway and Lockwood Ridge Road in southern Manatee County. Witnesses reported the man driving the Jetta ran a red light while traveling north on Lockwood Ridge Road. The woman driving the Mustang was identified as 20-year-old Lisa Kreider. The accident remains under investigation. (Source: Bradenton Herald)
On January 14, 2007, a three-car crash killed one man and injured three other people in Miami. A Mitsubishi Montero heading west on Northwest 62nd Street ran a red light at North Miami Avenue and struck a southbound Toyota Camry. The Camry then rammed into a Toyota 4Runner, which flipped. The driver of the Camry was pronounced dead at Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center. The two other drivers and a passenger in the 4Runner are recovering. Police had not filed charges Sunday night. (Source: TheMiamiHerald.com.com)
On January 1, 2007, traffic homicide investigators were trying to determine who or what caused a ruinous three-car wreck that left three people dead and eight injured in Fort Lauderdale early New Year's Day. "We're trying to piece it together," Fort Lauderdale Police Detective Katherine Collins said of the crash at Broward Boulevard and the southbound Interstate 95 exit ramp. "Speed and alcohol are definitely going to be considered, but that's not something we're going to know in the next few days. There was a lot of damage. Kyle McKay, 21, of Fort Lauderdale, was killed in the crash. The names of the other two who died -- a man and a woman -- were not released because their relatives had not yet been notified. (Source: Sun-Sentinel.com)
On December 30, 2006, an off-duty Jacksonville police officer was killed after driving his patrol car the wrong way on a downtown street, running a red light and being hit by another car. Corey L. Russ, 34, who had been an officer little more than two years, died shortly after the 5 p.m. wreck despite efforts by Jacksonville Fire and Rescue personnel to save his life. The accident occurred at the intersection of Forsyth and Broad Streets. (Source: Jacksonville.com)
On December 26, 2006, a motorist was burned alive after running a red light and ramming into an 18-wheeler's gas tank in Daytona Beach. Officials could not identify the body that was trapped inside the vehicle after it was engulfed in flames. The vehicle was heading west on International Speedway Boulevard as a southbound tractor-trailer on LPGA Boulevard had a green light to turn east. The unidentified driver ran the red light on ISB and crashed into the tractor-trailer's gas tank, immediately setting the car and the truck ablaze. The truck driver escaped from the truck without injuries. (Source: OrlandoSentinel.com)
On December 22, 2006, a 26-year-old Holiday man was killed when he ran a red light and collided with another car. Carlos Robinson was driving south on Sawyer Road in a 2006 Hyundai about 3:25 a.m. when he ran the stoplight at Hillsborough Avenue. His car was struck by Cosme Torres, 58, of Tampa, who was driving west on Hillsborough in an Isuzu truck. Robinson's car spun off the road and struck three utility poles and a fence. He was ejected, ad taken to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died. Torres sustained minor injuries. No charges have been filed. (Source: Tampabay.com)
On December 20, 2006, a Spring Hill woman and a 16-year-old girl were killed after failing to stop at a red light and hitting another vehicle. Beverly Bushell and one of her passengers, Chelsea Bushell, died from their injuries. A third passenger, 11-year-old Seth Bushell, suffered minor injuries. (Source: 28news.com)
On December 19, 2006, a 43-year-old Dade City man was killed morning in a five-vehicle crash on U.S. 98. Robert M. Olejniczak died at the scene of the crash. Freeland A. Varney, 83, was driving his 2000 Ford Ranger south on the inside lane of U.S. 98. Varney failed to stop for a red light at U.S. 98 and Duff Road and collided with the back of Olejniczak’s 2004 Harley Davidson motorcycle. The motorcycle collided with the rear of James G. Noles’ 2004 Cadillac Escalade. The Escalade then was knocked into the back of 83-year-old John C. Eovaldi’s 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser. The PT Cruiser then hit 31-year-old Shelton T. Carlton’s 1992 Chevrolet Silverado pickup. (Source: TheLedger.com)
On December 14, 2006, three people, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed and a woman was critically injured when a car ran a red light and slammed into another vehicle. A Honda Accord with two men inside drove through the intersection and struck a Chevrolet Geo driven by a woman taking her 12-year-old son to school. The mother and son were thrown from their vehicle. The boy died at a hospital and the mother was listed in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The Honda hit a light pole and was torn in half. The driver and passenger died at the scene. (Source: TheLedger.com)
On December 8, 2006, a 12-year-old child was killed and a second 12-year-old was listed in critical condition after a hit-and-run crash. The crash occurred at Landstar Road and Town Center Boulevard in Orange County after a red Mustang drove through a red light and smashed into a 2000 Lexus carrying five people, forcing it to hit a utility pole. The woman driving the 1996 Mustang fled on foot. Anyone with information about the driver of the Mustang is urged to contact the Patrol. (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
On December 3, 2006, a Gulfport man died after a crash involving two motorcycles and an SUV that threw him from his scooter and trapped him under the auto. Charles D. Neeley, 26, died at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg after the crash at 49th Street N and 54th Avenue N in Pinellas Park. Neeley wasn't wearing a helmet, and was hit by a Suzuki Vitara as he tried to make a left turn off 54th Avenue N onto 49th Street. Witnesses said that Juan C. Perez, 17, of 5472 48th Ave. N, drove the Vitara through a red light. James and Sue Morrow, who were on motorcycles following Neeley, also were involved in the wreck.Perez was uninjured. James and Sue Morrow were taken to Northside Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Charges against Perez are pending. (Source: St. Petersburg Times)
On November 28, 2006, an Orlando motorist died a month after being struck by a red-light runner on Semoran Boulevard in Orlando. Ms. Raeman, 39, died at Orlando Regional Medical Center where she had been hospitalized since the Oct. 29 crash. The reckless motorist who caused the crash now faces enhanced criminal charges as a result of Raeman's death. The morning of the crash, this motorist sped through a red light at the corner of Pershing Avenue & Semoran Blvd. His Jeep struck the rear of the vehicle carrying Raeman and ejected her from the passenger seat as it flipped over twice in the intersection. He sped away from the crash until he struck a second vehicle and tried to flee on foot. Witnesses followed him until police arrived and charged him with leaving the scene of a crash. (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
On November 12, 2006, Lillian Starkman, 92, and Mariam Sherman, 84, died and several other people were injured when a bus carrying senior citizens was run into by a septic tanker. The driver of a septic tanker blew through a red light and smashed into the side of a shuttle bus carrying senior citizens on a shopping trip. Emergency rescue workers airlifted 4 other elderly passengers to St. Mary's Medical Center, and they are listed in critical condition. Barbara Ellen Tupper, Starkman's niece, said that she would miss her aunt, whom she described as a ``feisty, fabulous little thing. We were looking forward to getting together for Thanksgiving.'' What began as a routine outing turned tragic for the handful of elderly residents when Humberto Corrales, 59, a driver with Speedy Rooter, attempted to beat the light at the intersection of Okeechobee and Golden Lakes Boulevard. (Source: Herald.com)
Charles Baur despised crime and was committed to protecting his community from unlawful activities. For 3 hours on Fridays, 86-year-old Bauer would get in his car and patrol Mas Verde roads, the Lake Worth trailer park where he lived for 37 years. On November 11, 2006, a person with a history of 15 arrests ended Baur's life. Baur died after a driver eluding police ran a red light and hit his car. Jason Brackett, 35, was arrested on manslaughter and other traffic-related charges. Brackett, who suffered minor injuries, was under the influence of drugs or alcohol when he smashed his truck into Baur's Chevrolet Cavalier. Baur was taken to Delray Medical Center, where he died shortly afterward. Brackett, of Wellington, remained jailed Sunday night. Since 1998, he has been arrested 15 times on charges ranging from drug possession, DUI, probation violation, vehicle theft, fleeing from police and driving with a suspended license, according to records. A woman in Brackett's car, Melody Mashburn, suffered minor injuries in the crash. The driver of a third car involved in the accident, Sandra Shamaskin, was taken to the JFK Medical Center in Atlantis and released hours later. Baur's neighbors said he was a friendly man who will be missed. "I was his adoptive daughter," said Donna Kemp, adding that she drove to the nearby accident site Sunday morning to try to make sense of the loss. "I cried in church this morning." Other neighbors said Baur's passions were biking, playing golf and gardening. He rode his bike around Mas Verde, trimmed his trees into round shapes and cleared weeds from the white pebbles on his cat's grave, they said. He lived alone. His cat, Walker, died about three years ago, Kemp said. Kemp last saw Baur on Wednesday, when he brought her cupcakes. "Try not to eat them all at once," she remembered him saying. (Source: Sun-Sentinel.com)
On November 10, 2006, a car carrying three Brandon teens was rear-ended by a driver racing through a red light, and the crash killed 17-year-old Jaclynne McCrary.The crash occurred at on State Road 60 at the northbound exit ramp off Interstate 75. The patrol said the drivers of a 2005 Kia and a 2004 Honda were stopped at a red light at the intersection. A Ford F-250 failed to stop and struck the 2004 Honda sedan. McCrary was the Honda's front seat passenger. The impact rotated the Honda into the Kia. The reckless driver received only minor injuries.
On November 10, 2006, Basilio Rosas was killed at Benjamin Road and State Route 580 in Tampa. Mr. Rosas was driving without his headlights when he ran a red light and collided with another motorist. (Source: St. Petersburg Times)
On November 4, 2006, Ada Elizabeth Boyd of Orlando was killed in east Orange County when her vehicle was struck by a van that ran through a red light. Boyd was westbound on Bates Road in a 2002 Ford and stopped at a traffic light at Goldenrod Road, and when the light turned green, Boyd turned left onto Goldenrod. There, she was hit by a northbound 1993 Ford van driven by Ernest B. Hayes, 35, of Sebastian. Hayes was not injured. Boyd was pronounced dead at Florida Hospital East Orlando about an hour after the crash. (Source: Orlandosentinel.com)
On November 1, 2006, 29-year-old Glen Michael set off for his home in Wimauma about 7:15 p.m., and as he turned left from Causeway Boulevard onto U.S. 301, Joanna Lynn Kinchen's Mercury Sable ran a red light and smashed into the driver's side of Laurent's Acura Integra. Kinchen and Laurent were taken to Tampa General Hospital. Laurent died about an hour later and Kinchen had a few scrapes and bruises. Florida Highway Patrol troopers arrested Kinchen, 27, at the hospital where her blood test showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.18, more than twice the level at which Florida law considers a driver impaired. She has been charged with vehicular homicide, reckless driving with serious bodily injury, DUI manslaughter and DUI with serious bodily injury. Laurent had been "one of the top three salesmen on the sales force," said Brandon Mitsubishi owner Frank Delvecchio. Laurent's girlfriend, Mia Dix, wrote to say "she misses him very much." (Source: TampaBay.com)
On October 24, 2006, a 22-year-old Florida Gulf Coast University sophomore who was preparing for a career in golf course management died in a traffic crash at Alico Road and U.S. 41. Andrew McGillen was a passenger in a car Jason Howard, 22, was driving when their car and another vehicle crashed. Howard remained in critical condition at Lee Memorial Hospital on Wednesday. Howard was also a sophomore at FGCU in the same professional golf management degree program, a tight-knit group of about 40 students, said Susan Evans, a university spokeswoman. Both students had transferred to FGCU at the start of the semester. The crash happened just before 3 p.m. when the driver of a 2001 GMC truck, Jessica Webb, 20, ran a red light, according to FHP reports. Webb of Lehigh Acres was heading south on U.S. 41 and hit Howard’s Honda, which was turning left onto U.S. 41 from Alico Road. Webb and a passenger in her truck, Luis LeBlanc, 26, of North Fort Myers, were also taken to Lee Memorial Hospital on Tuesday with minor injuries. Eight people have been killed in crashes in the region since Saturday. (Source: Bonita Daily News)
On September 23, 2006, a young man in Land O’Lakes died when his Honda Accord somehow launched itself in midair over stunned patrons of the always-busy Radiant gas station at State Road 54 and Collier Parkway. Witnesses waiting at the light on westbound SR 54 saw the Accord race through a red signal at the intersection seconds before the accident, and say the car had to have been going at least 100 mph. An embankment on the southwest corner turned into a launching pad for the 2006 Accord, which veered off southbound Collier as it drove through the intersection. The Accord struck the embankment, then took off, shattering a sign and clipping a concrete wall on the way up. Then it struck the corner of the awning, some 15 to 20 feet over the gas pumps. The car continued to leap over trees and cars parked in front of the convenience store. When it tumbled back to earth, the car scraped the side of the gas station, wiped out a pay phone and struck several other parking lot structures as it careened end over end into nearby parking lots, leaving behind a 500-foot trail of wreckage. But no one else was reported injured. The Accord's 18-year-old driver, Patrick Boyles of Land O'Lakes, was declared dead at the scene. (Source: St. Petersburg Times)
On August 12, 2006, 33-year-old Leydis Abdala was apparently driving under the influence when she ran a red light and crashed into a car driven by Gloria Hall, who died on the scene. Hall had just moved to South Florida from the Washington, D.C., area to be with her family, including her brother, who is a Miami police officer. After the accident, Abdala was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital with serious injuries. She was later discharged from the hospital and hasn't been seen since. Police said they believe Abdala is still in South Florida. Anyone who sees her should call Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. (Source: NBC6.net)
On July 23, 2006, Magnolia Yager died in a T-bone crash in Sunrise. Witnesses told police that Magnolia Yager, 60, was driving south on Pine Island Road about 11:15 a.m. when she ran a red light at West Commercial Boulevard. Her Toyota Camry was hit by a Ford F-150 driven by Rene Banuelas, of Fort Lauderdale. Yager died in the crash and Banuelas was taken to Coral Springs Medical Center for minor injuries. (Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
On July 17, 2006, a 46-year-old Sunrise woman was killed when a drunken driver did not stop for a red light at Pine Island Road and Southgate Boulevard in Tamarac. (Source: Sun Sentinel.com)
On July 13, 2006, Clearwater resident Edith Odijk, 61, was driving north on Belcher, just south of Gulf-to-Bay, when she ran into the car of Roderick Wood, 92, and his wife, Effie, 87, who were leaving Gulf-to-Bay Plaza. The Woods' Ford Taurus careened across the road and into the retention pond next to Lakeside Mobile Home Park. Despite rescue attempts, the elderly couple drowned. Odijk was cited for running a red light. (Source: St. Petersburg Times)
On July 6, 2006 in Hollywood, a 31-year-old woman driving a Honda Pilot was struck by a 29-year-old man driving a van that sped through a red light, crashing into her SUV. The van then hit 2 other vehicles before coming to a stop. Mayra had just dropped her 3-year-old child at day camp and was driving home. There was a 10-month-old baby in the SUV at the time of the collision. They were both taken to Memorial Regional Hospital, where the woman later died. (Source: Local10.com)
On June 9, 2006, 86-year-old John Wilk died after his car slammed into a truck turning onto 178th Avenue. John W. Wilk, of Sandy Hook, CN, was driving east in the 17800 block of Pines Boulevard when witnesses told police he ran a red light at SW 178th Ave just as an 18-wheeler truck was turning left on a green arrow light. Wilk was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, where he died less than 3 hours later. The driver of the truck, William Heck, 51, Boca Raton, sustained minor injuries and was taken to Memorial Hospital in Miramar. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information should call the Police Department at 954-431-2200. (Source: www.sun-sentinel.com
On May 29, 2006 in Fort Walton Beach, a red light runner at Lewis Turner Blvd. & Hospital Road crashed into a Mercury Sedan, leaving the elderly driver dead. His name was not released pending notification of family. (Source: weartv.com)
On May 14, 2006, Barbara and Robert Tanner stopped in to see his mother and then went to visit friends. On their way to Barbara's parents' home, Barbara realized she'd left her Mother's Day gift at home and asked Robert to turn around. While driving down Radio Road and passing through the intersection of Livingston Road in Robert's white 2000 Ford pickup, Barbara saw another vehicle run the light. Barbara and Robert were hit by a 2004 Ford Focus traveling south on Livingston. The driver of the Focus, Claudia Schafer, 33, failed to stop at the red light and collided with the truck in the intersection. Robert was ejected from the vehicle. Barbara was trapped inside and had to be cut out. Both were transported to Naples Community Hospital, where Robert was pronounced dead. Schafer was ordered to pay a $1,055.50 fine and had her driver's license suspended. In June Barbara installed a memorial at the intersection where Robert was killed. The cross remained in place all summer. But when Barbara passed by recently, she noticed the cross was gone. Barbara said she does not know who took the cross, and hopes that whoever has it will return it, no questions asked. (Source: NaplesNews.com)
On May 27, 2005 the Toribio family was headed to a roller skating rink in Bradenton for an end-of-year school party. A Tampa man blasted through a red light, crashing into the Toribio's sedan, killing 14-year-old Elizabeth. (Source: Herald Tribune)
On April 21, 2006, a 2004 Mercedes-Benz carrying the mother and 4 family members in town for the wedding collided with a 2003 Dodge Durango at Lumsden Road and Parsons Avenue in Brandon. Manzano, 62, of Brandon, Sonia Medders, 58, of Oceanside, Calif., Victoria Giron Weaver, 46 of Sparks, Nevada, and Juliebeth Olega, 37, of Clifton Heights, Pa., were killed. Medders and Olega were the bride's cousins. One other family member was injured. (Source: St. Pete Times)
On May 15, 2005 Jonathan Kornexl was fleeing from police when he ran a red light at Texas Avenue and Americana Boulevard, smashing into a 1997 Infiniti and killing Frantz and Carole Leandre of Orlando. The Orange County Sheriff's Office drew heat from the community when officials said deputies were following -- not chasing -- Kornexl through neighborhood streets. An Orlando Sentinel investigation showed 23 deputies and a helicopter pursued Kornexl in a 49-minute chase through neighborhood streets. The Sheriff's Office settled a wrongful-death claim with the Leandres' family. The couple's children -- Rose and Peter -- will each get $1 million. (Source: OrlandoSentinel.com)
89-year-old Angel Espinosa died Wednesday morning after his car crashed into a Coral Gables police cruiser at the intersection of Ponce de Leon Boulevard and Riviera Drive. Officer Danny Smith was running an emergency call eastbound on Ponce de Leon. Mr. Espinosa of Coral Gables, was southbound on Riviera Drive, ran the red light and collided with the police cruiser. It appears from the preliminary investigation that Mr. Espinosa traveled through the red signal and was struck by Officer Smith. Espinosa died after being airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital. (Source: SunSentinel.com)
An 18-year-old motorcyclist was killed on June 17, 2006 when he turned in front of a car. Robert P. Stefko III of Virginia was riding a motorcycle westbound on U.S. Highway 192 about when he ran a red light at Partin Settlement Road. The driver of a Pontiac, John Thomas of Scotland, was making a left turn onto Partin Settlement. The front of Thomas' car hit Stefko's motorcycle. Stefko, who was wearing a helmet, was thrown from the motorcycle and died at the scene. Stefko's family in Virginia said he had been riding with a group of motorcyclists. The family said Stefko was attending the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Orlando. (Source: Orlando Sentinel.com)
On May 9, 2006, a 63-year-old man died after a Jacksonville Transportation Authority bus struck his pickup truck that police said ran a red light at Edgewood Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard. Police said that Mr. Zarka drove through the red light and into the path of the bus. The bus broadsided the truck, which was then thrown into the guardrail. Zarka was owner of the European Street Cafe restaurants. (Source: News4Jax.com)
On April 11, 2006, 85-year-old Mary Stipek of Pensacola died of injuries received in a traffic crash at Main Street and Barrancas Ave. The crash occurred when the driver of a car she was riding in made a left turn and collided with a van. The driver was charged with running a red light. (Source: Unknown)
On January 30, 2006, 85-year-old James Charron’s vehicle was struck by a southbound car on 436 that ran the red light, ramming the driver's side door of his car. The severity of the impact broke Charron's neck, ribs and pelvis. It collapsed his left lung and tore his aorta. Mr. Charron was a Coast Guard veteran and a retired insurance executive. Daughter Dorothy remembers, “Dad had a long, active life. He played golf in downtown Winter Park on the morning of the day he died. His health was excellent, so his family members were lulled into a sense of security about having him around for several more years. Now, instead of playing golf, he lies beneath the trees in Palm Cemetery, adjacent to the course." (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
On April 16, 2006, Spring Hill resident Kurtis Moclaire was killed after apparently ignoring a red light and his motorcycle crashed into another vehicle at Lakeview Road and Keene Road. 21-year-old Moclaire drove through this Clearwater intersection hitting a Ford Explorer. (Source: WTSP Tampa/St. Pete)
On April 3, 2006, passenger Patrick Grady was injured and subsequently died from car crash injuries suffered near downtown Orlando. Thirty-year-old Mr. Grady of Noble Place was riding in a 2005 Nissan which ran through a red light and struck another vehicle. Police said alcohol may have been a factor. (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
On March 27, 2006, Marshall Yasuna, 80, and his wife Rose, 78 were killed when a tractor-trailer ran a red light and slammed into their car near the South Florida Fairgrounds. The crash happened at the intersection of Southern Blvd. and Sansburys Way. They were longtime members of Temple Beth Torah in Wellington. Every Monday evening, the couple drove to West Palm Beach to counsel families of drug and alcohol addicts.
On March 23, 2006, Kathleen M. Hill, 54, of Naples was stopped for a red light at Livingston Road at Pine Ridge Road. The signal turned green and she started forward. Her car was struck by a pickup driving west on Pine Ridge Road. She was taken to Naples Community Hospital, where she died shortly after arrival.If you witnessed this crash, please call the Florida Highway Patrol at 354-2377, extension 312.
Jeffrey K. Clymer, 50, a motorcyclist who was involved in a collision with a motorhome March 11, 2006 died on March 15th from his injuries. Clymer was a resident of Whiteland, Indiana. He ran a red light in Palmetto and collided with a Canadian motorist. Clymer was not wearing a helmet at the time. (Source: Bradenton Herald.com)
84-year-old Mims resident Elnora Blane Plummer died on March 13, 2006. Ms. Plummer apparently drove through a traffic signal in front of Parrish Medical Center at Jess Parrish Court and US 1. Paramedics were unsuccessful in stabilizing her. It was said her grandson arrived at the scene to retrieve her handbag. (Source: FloridaToday.com)
80-year-old Charles Minor died on March 10, 2006. Mr. Minor was driving south on McIntosh in Sarasota when he ran a red light at Bee Ridge Road, according to FHP. Minor slammed into the passenger side of an oncoming truck. Both cars spun out of control and hit two more cars. Four other vehicles, including a parked truck, were hit by flying debris. Minor died at the scene. The FHP is investigating whether he had a seizure or another medical emergency that caused him to run the red light. (Source: HeraldTribune.com)
Mr. Serrano died on February 25, 2006 after a Pontiac Grand Prix went through a red light and broadsided his Ford Taurus as he got off Interstate 275 at Gibsonton Drive. Serrano, a detective with the Tampa Police Department and Mayor Pam Iorio's driver, was on his way home from an assignment with the Mayor when he exited I-75 at Gibsonton Drive. A second vehicle ran a red light and collided with Serrano's car. Detective Serrano was a 17-year veteran of the Tampa Police Department. He is survived by his wife and 3 children. (Source: Policeone.com)
On March 8, 2006 the principal of Western Pines Middle School was needlessly killed when her car was struck by a reckless motorist running a red light. Peggy Campbell had been an educator for 40 years. (Source: Manatee Herald)
America Babilonia, 58, died on December 5, 2005 when a BMW driver ran a red light at Jog Road & Brentwood Blvd. and slammed into the driver's side of her car. A 23-year-old man is charged with being under the influence of Xanax and marijuana the morning of the crash. The motorist is being held in Palm Beach County Jail on $50,000 bail on charges of DUI manslaughter, leaving the scene of a crash involving death and possession of drug paraphernalia. (Source: PalmBeachPost.com)
On September 28, 2005, Christa Ferrari was killed at US 301 and Bloomingdale Avenue by a red light runner. Daughter Melissa Trost is working hard to change Florida laws. She wants witnesses to be required to stay at a crash scene. She wants cameras at intersections, mandatory blood tests for survivors of fatal crashes, and harsher penalties for people who run red lights.
(Source: St. Petersburg Times)
Local real estate salesman Ray Kanwischer died on January 19, 2006 after a car pulled in front his motorcycle at the intersection of Proctor and Bliss Roads in Sarasota. He tried to avoid the crash by putting his motorcycle on its right side, the Florida Highway Patrol said. But he hit the left side of a Pontiac driven by a Venice motorist, who ran through a stop sign. He leaves behind two young daughters, ages 11 and 13. (Source: Stacey Kanwischer)
My Angel Michael, Love, Mom
Michael D. Carico II had plans for Thanksgiving dinner with his family, then a camping trip with his son. But in a split second everything changed. Carico and a friend left work and were driving to the mall to pick up a turkey fryer. A vehicle driven by a young woman ran through a red light and slammed into their car. The crash occured on November 27, 2002 at the intersection of U.S. 301 & Third Street West in Bradenton. Carico, who had just turned 39, was flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg where he died. He had been a passenger in a vehicle driven by Louis Vasquez Jr. 36, who suffered minor injuries. Carico left behind wife, Angie, and 3 children, ages 6, 11, and 16. The reckless motorist who caused the crash was never cited for running the light or for taking his young life. Born in Ohio, Michael moved to Manatee County with his family when he was 10 years old. He was a Supervisor at Pierce Manufacturing Co., a Bradenton company that makes firetrucks, and formerly served as a firefighter in Samoset.
Mother Carol and family have created a memorial website in Michael's memory - visit Michael Dennis Carico II.
(Source: MiamiHerald.com)
On April 11, 2005, Ashley was struck at US1 and Mariposa across from the University of Miami at a crosswalk when a lady ran a red light. It was not the first time a student or resident had been hit and killed at that intersection. Ashley and her roommate were crossing the street when she was hit. Her roommate suffered a concussion and shoulder sprain however Ashley suffered severe injuries and was transported to Jackson Memorial and passed away on April 12, 2005.
(Source: Sherri Kelly)
21-year-old Nelson Burgos, a Kendall resident, died on March 8, 2006, after he drove his 1997 Honda Civic past a red light on the eastbound lane of Kendall Drive and Southwest 87th Avenue. He crashed into the front left side of an Infinity, killing himself and injuring 3 passengers inside.
(Source: MiamiHerald.com)
An 11-year-old girl died January 3, 2006, nearly nine hours after she was struck in front of her school by a car that ran a red light, Miami police said. Diannet Leyva had been walking with her 19-year-old sister, pulling her red book bag through the marked crosswalk at about 8 a.m., on her way to fifth grade at Flagler Elementary. Diannet died of her injuries Tuesday night at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
(Source: MiamiHerald.com)
On March 3, 2005, one of South Florida’s most beloved charitable figures was killed at a Margate intersection where a 22-year old SUV driver sped through a red light and slammed into the retiree’s 2002 Mercury Sable. The collision occurred at the intersection of North State Rd. 7 & Northwest 31st St. as Endsley was headed to the grocery store to take advantage of a sale on fresh tilapia fish. Mr. Endsley was president of the Broward County United Way from 1976 to 1999, a former air force officer, St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher and head of the Florida Department of Welfare for 5 years.
(Source: Bocanews.com)
On March 3, 2006, a unidentified Palm Bay motorcyclist traveling up to 70 mph on one wheel and without a helmet ran a red light and slammed into a car, killing himself and a passenger in the car. Witnesses claimed the Suzuki 1000 driver was going 50-70 mph when he recklessly ran through a red light at Babcock Street and Port Malabar Boulevard. The bike crashed into a Cadillac that was heading east through the intersection, instantly killing the passenger.
(Source: Orlando Sentinel)
On October 27, 2004, Anjelica Velez, 5, and her sister Victoria, 2, were killed as they crossed at a red light with their mother on the corner of Goldenrod Road and Bates Road. Florida Highway Patrol said the driver who ran the light was on her cell phone and possibly speeding when the crash occurred.
(Source: Internet Broadcasting Systems & Local6.com)
A Jacksonville teen was involved in a fatal crash on January 11, 2006 at Roosevelt Blvd. and San Juan. Passenger Feliscia Robbins was killed and the vehicle driver was injured when they crossed over railroad tracks and ran through a red light. Their truck pulled into the intersection where another motorist struck the passenger door.
(Source: News4Jax.com)
On July 27, 2005, a 17-year-old driver ran a red light and killed Ellenton resident, Mary Lamar. This crash occurred on US 301 at Colony Drive.
(Source: Herald Tribune)
In 2005, 22-year-old Nakea Black's Cadillac was struck by a Riviera Beach teen who ran a red light at 45th Street and Corporate Way in a pickup truck he had stolen. In March 2006, the teen was sentenced to 10 years in prison for vehicular homicide that killed the 7-months-pregnant woman.
(Source: PalmBeachPost.com)
An Orlando motorcyclist died early on January 16, 2006 when he ran a red light on Orange Blossom Trail. The motorcyclist struck a southbound van that was turning east across the northbound lanes at Amelia Street. The name of the motorcyclist was not released until relatives could be notified.
(Source: Orlando Sentinel)
On October 11, 2005 a pregnant Orange Park woman was killed on Fleming Island after her vehicle was hit by a car that ran a red light. Ms. Terpack-Hart, 29, pulled out of Harbor Island Drive onto US 17 where a motorist continued southbound through a red light, striking her driver's door. Terpack-Hart was flown by air ambulance to Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center, where she died. Terpack-Hart was a promising graphic artist and was returning to her office when she was killed.
(Source: WJXT News4Jax.com)
A popular Miami priest became one of Florida's red light running casualties after an April 14, 2006 crash. Rev. Villaronga was driving westbound on Northwest 20th Street when the driver of a Chevrolet ran the northbound red light, striking Villaronga’s car and an Isuzu. Villaronga was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital Trauma, where he was pronounced dead. The occupants of the Isuzu were not injured, and the driver that police said ran the red light suffered minor trauma. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez said in a statement: “Father Villaronga touched the lives of thousands...and dedicated his life to serving others. Father Villaronga will be missed, but his legacy will always be
remembered.”
(Source: National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running)
Stephen McKernan, 20, of Royal Palm Beach was killed in a January 2004 auto collision in which a driver ran a red light.
(Source: PalmBeachPost.com)
It was a clear June evening in 1999 in Boca Raton, FL. Neil Marvin was at the wheel of his Mercury Grand Marquis with wife, Paulette, and 4 friends. Marvin, 66, stopped at a traffic light, and pulled out routinely when it changed to green. Just then, a Mercedes-Benz ran the red light at a speed estimated by police at 80 mph. The Mercedes slammed into the left side of the Mercury, instantly killing Marvin, his wife and all four friends.
verdict. Trial witnesses said he was driving up to 80 mph, weaving in traffic and talking on his cell phone when he hit the sport-utility vehicle carrying three couples.
(Source: Reader’s Digest / National Safety Council)
A Clearwater mother of two was killed on April 4, 2002 by a red light runner. A driver barreled through the intersection of Eastland Boulevard and McMullen-Booth Road and struck Ms. Kratochwill, who was driving her 2 daughters to skating practice. Ms. Kratochwill's car flipped and landed on its roof. She died in the crash. Her daughters were injured but survived the crash.
(Source: St. Petersburg Times)
On November 23, 2005, a 25-year-old Indian River County motorist went through a red light on State Road 60 near Interstate 95. Troopers say the driver ran a red light at a high rate of speed and crashed into a Mercedes. Two people and an unborn baby in the Mercedes were killed.
(Source: St. Petersburg Times)
Motorcyclist Steve Leetz died on March 19, 2006 in a crash at McGregor Boulevard and Pine Ridge Road in south Fort Myers. 22-year-old Leetz was speeding when he ran a red light on McGregor and hit an SUV that was turning onto the road. The impact threw Leetz from his Suzuki bike 92-feet into a tree, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the SUV was not injured.
In November 2004, a Ford Mustang sped recklessly off the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway, ran a red light at Morgan and Brorein streets, and smashed into a car driven by U.S. Secret Service agent Philip Lebid. The force of the crash pushed Lebid's car into an oncoming tour bus, killing him.
(Source: St. Petersburg Times)
On April 2, 2004, Martin DeWinter, 64, was killed in a fiery hit-and-run crash when a semitrailer truck driver ran a red light on U.S. 27 and hit DeWinter's motorcycle as he entered the Griffin Road intersection. The truck driver continued south on U.S. 27 and disappeared.
(Source: Sun-Sentinel.com)
On Monday, February 20, 2006, Mr. Castañeda died when a pickup truck hit 23-year-old Castañeda's SUV at a Hollywood intersection, killing him on impact.
Preliminary investigation indicates the driver at fault ran a red light. Castañeda, a Davie resident, was a drummer for the band Orijin, who recently won a Feb. 10 battle of the bands at the Legends Theatre at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood.
(Source: MiamaHerald.com)
On January 20, 2006, a driver blew through a red light and slammed into the car carrying Gertrude Daniels, 34, and her three daughters. Only 12-year-old daughter Deja survived the crash with numerous broken bones. The reckless driver was high on marijuana when the crash occurred as Ms. Daniels drove Shanice Daniels, 9; Brianna Jones, 14; and Deja to school.
"I have no one to talk to anymore," said Deja, who was in the hospital for a month with too many broken bones to count. "We loved each other a whole lot."
(Source: PalmBeachPost.com)
In 2002, a 13-year-old North Pinellas County boy riding a motorized scooter was killed trying to cross East Lake Road at Ridgemoor Boulevard. An 18-year-old reckless driver ran a red light, striking the boy. The driver, who appeared to be driving at about the 50 mph speed limit, received a traffic citation but faced no criminal charges because investigators did not establish that he acted in a reckless fashion. (Source: TBO.com)
A few hours after an August 1996 basketball game, Jerry Richardson, the head coach of UCF woman's basketball, was killed when a stolen car moving at nearly 100 mph ran a red light and hit Jerry's van broadside. Mr. Richardson, age 40, had been at UCF through 4 seasons and in that time had become a strong and quiet force on campus and in the community. (Source: WUCF.FM)
On March 7, 1996, Hailey Elizabeth Estes, a freshman at Ole Miss, was home for spring break. Hailey was playing tour guide that day for friend Mindy. They were headed back home when Hailey crossed the intersection of Melrose-Montebello Parkway and Seargent S. Prentiss Drive. The light was green for her. It was red for the fire truck that came barreling through anyway. Hailey died in the accident. Hailey loved children and dancing. She was a member of the Lady Blues at Natchez High School, before she transferred to Cathedral School. She was on the dance team at Ole Miss and had just joined a sorority. (Source: The Natchez Democrat)
Sergeant Redding of the Lantana (FL) Police Department was killed in 1974, when a drunken driver ran a red light and broadsided his cruiser at an intersection.
(Source: National Reserve Law Officers Association)
On many local Florida roads, roadside memorials or "descansos" are constructed as symbols of the cycle of life, death and most important remembrance.
Descansos, from the Spanish word meaning "rest or relief", are used to mark the place where a coffin was temporarily set down by tired pallbearers traveling on foot to a cemetery. The descansos were created to remind people to pray for the deceased. Early American settlers used descansos to mark the sites where pioneers died in Indian ambushes.
Designed as memorials to loved ones killed in automobile crashes, these memorials are maintained by family and friends. They represent the passing of a loved one and also the life and memories of the victim.
We pass these memorials each day but do you ever wonder - who was this person? What terrible event happened to take their life? Whose family received that late night call we all dread?
Wives without husbands, parents without a child, children without parents. These are not political issues, they're about life and death, and what we leave behind.
