On the last day of last year, a woman died in a St. Petersburg car crash on I-275. According to officials, the auto accident was a result of a wrong-way driver, which ended in a head-on crash that produced several injuries and a fatality.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 58-year-old Sandra Weems of St. Petersburg was driving a 2004 Pontiac against traffic on I-275 southbound on the morning of December 31, 2012. Just past 6:30 a.m., she died after colliding head-on with a Ford van that was traveling in the left lane of the interstate.
The two-vehicle collision took place near Exit 16, prior to the Miesner Bridge, and approaching the Skyway Bridge. Although the driver of the van attempted to steer away from the wrong-way driver, the Pontiac’s right front ended up colliding into the front of the van.
David C. Davis, 44, the driver of the van, and his passengers reported injuries and were all taken to Bayfront Medical Center for treatment. According to a statement, the four occupants are workers from Tab Glass & Window Corp. They were on a work assignment in a company van, heading to Venice, when the crash occurred. The victims’ names and injuries include:
- Vincent Edward Ortiz, 38, suffered serious injuries
- Dragan Radak, 40, was listed in serious condition
- Fehim Dapo, 50, sustained minor injuries and released same day
- David C. Davis, 44, suffered minor injuries and released hours later
The Florida Highway Patrol is still conducting their investigation, and it is unclear if Weems was intoxicated during the collision. However, Weems’s Florida record reveals several dozen arrests for drug possession, theft, and prostitution.
Our Florida personal injury lawyers would like to wish all the men who suffered injuries in this St. Petersburg crash a full and fast recovery.