|
Home Search |
Published on Saturday, January 25, 2003
in the Orlando Sentinel
Daniel Pence, 23, was speeding on East Colonial Drive because he said he was late for a job interview Friday afternoon.
Florida Highway Patrol Capt. Ernie Duarte appreciated Pence's honesty, but the 14-year veteran still gave Pence a $143 ticket for going 65 mph -- in a 45-mph zone.
Pence was one of 18 motorists caught in a 11/2-hour crackdown at the same intersection where a two-car crash killed five people earlier this week.
Investigators said speeding was partly to blame in the accident, one of Central Florida's deadliest crashes in recent years.
FHP troopers said they decided to conduct the crackdown after seeing a number of motorists speeding through the intersection of East Colonial Drive and Old Cheney Highway. There were 64 accidents at the intersection in 2002, but none was fatal.
"When we went out there the next day, we caught people doing 60 and 70 miles an hour," said Trooper Kim Miller, FHP spokeswoman. "People think that speed doesn't kill, but speed was a factor in that crash."
Monday's accident killed three adults, a teen and a toddler. The FHP said the accident happened because a motorist tried to make a left turn onto Old Cheney without yielding the right of way to a speeding westbound driver on Colonial.
On Friday, Miller pointed aspeed detectorat westbound motorists before signaling the car's description to Duarte, Sgt. Robert Blackwell and Trooper Angel Cadiz. The trio took turns pulling over speeders.
"Blue SUV. Just ahead of you. You're behind it now," commanded Miller as Duarte turned onto Colonial Drive and floored his unmarked black Ford Crown Victoria to catch up to Pence's blue Ford Explorer.
"It's not worth it," Duarte told Pence before reminding him of the deadly crash and giving him the ticket.
Tracee Badgett, 21, and her friend Madeline Rivera, 30, were killed when Badgett slammed her black Acura into a Ford Taurus driven by Gloria Tovar, 38.
Tovar survived. But the impact killed the rest of the occupants in her car, including her 14-year-old daughter, Griselda Rodriquez; friend Felix Trevino, 22; and Trevino's nephew Victor Resendez, 3.
Tovar was trying to make a left turn and go north on Old Cheney Highway when Badgett, who was driving between 60 and 70 mph in the 45-mph posted speed limit, drove into her. FHP investigators said Tovar failed to yield the right of way to Badgett.
Badgett's 2-year-old son, Brandon, survived along with Rivera's 14-year-old daughter, Ileana Gonzalez.
The last fatal accident at the intersection occurred in 2001, when 60-year-old Mireya Velez was killed when she turned left and was hit by a speeding westbound motorist.
Detective Leroy Alfred of the Orlando Police Department's traffic-homicide unit said Monday's crash closely mirrored that of Velez. "It's the same exact scenario," Alfred said.
Alfred said that human error, not intersections, are to blame as motorists turning onto Old Cheney Highway from Colonial try to beat oncoming traffic.
"They see speeding vehicles at a significant distance, but they don't realize how fast they are moving."
FHP, the state Department of Transportation and Orlando's traffic-engineering department are studying the intersection.
After Monday's accident, FHP troopers found that the intersection's green arrow lacked a yellow warning arrow. City engineers promptly fixed it Tuesday.
"Certainly the crash that we had was horrendous, and it should spur some sort of review," Duarte said.
One resident who lives and works off Old Cheney Highway would like authorities to redesign the intersection.
Gerry Railey, 25, who repairs and sells equipment at Scuba World at 5167 E. Colonial Drive, said Friday's FHP operation will have little impact on accidents.
Railey said unsuspecting motorists often have to slow down in the middle of their turn to enter the angled intersection. That exposes them to westbound traffic and collisions, said the Orlando native, who has seen several accidents in front of the store.
"I think it's kind of sad that something like this had to happen for everybody to take notice," Railey said.