An 86-year old woman died Friday afternoon from injuries she sustained in a car accident on U.S. 41 East near Ochopee, according to Florida Highway Patrol.
Evelina V. Clements, of Naples, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident near mile marker 55 near the Oasis Visitors Center. Clements was a passenger in the one-vehicle accident.
The driver, Patricia Gonzalez, 46, was seriously injured. She was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital. Both women were wearing seat belts. The accident occurred at about 1:45 p.m.
Gonzalez was driving a 2008 Mazda CX-7 west on U.S. 41 when she traveled onto the north grass shoulder, over corrected and crossed both lanes of traffic, according to the FHP.
The car continued south onto the south shoulder and into the woods. The car vaulted off a pile of boulders and ruptured the fuel tank. The car tumbled several times and caught on fire as it came to a stop on its left side, facing north in the south shoulder. Alcohol was not considered a factor.
Traffic was shut down in both directions for several hours, according to FHP
EARLIER
Collier County sheriff's deputies are closing U.S. 41 East in Ochopee near mile marker 60 following a crash around 1:30 p.m.
Early reports from law enforcement indicate at least one person may be trapped in a vehicle.
A trauma alert has been issued. Details about the crash, including the nature of any injuries and the number of vehicles involved, are unavailable from Florida Highway Patrol and the Collier County Sheriff's Office.
Traffic will be closed in both directions, according to the Sheriff's Office.
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Comments » 4
Sick writes:
Sad......
Bigkondorsback writes:
Yep. Sad to make it 86 years and get taken out by a Gonzalez.
titanbite writes:
Of course,you would have no comment if the woman had died with a person behind the wheel sporting a surname such as Jones or Williams,right?
You're no racist,right?!
LOL!
okay writes:
"Alcohol was not involved".....nope just plain ignorant stupidity. She was obviously distracted, then didn't have the brains to safely make it out of a bad situation. How do you STEER into a FOREST?
And yes, I would like to know if this woman's license is really hers and whether or not it is valid. Sorry if it sounds "culturist" (not racist, I could care less what race she belongs to), but the majority of illegal aliens driving with fake licenses are latinos, so it's a normal response to be curious about that considering her name is Spanish.
I refuse to allow anyone to dictate to my curiosity simply because the facts are too painful for them to admit. Political correctness is banal and boring and so are those who try to force others to be PC.
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