Sunday, February 24, 2013
The man’s Ford Explorer burst into flames after it struck another vehicle early this morning, Feb. 24.
A 20-year-old Odessa man is dead following an early morning crash today, Feb. 24, on Dale Mabry Highway at Bearss Avenue. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the accident occurred around 5:30 a.m. when a Ford Explorer driven by Michael Gregory Backus of Odessa was traveling northbound on North Dale Mabry Highway and ran a red light. Backus’ Explorer crossed into the path of another vehicle that was trying to make a left-hand turn onto Bearss Avenue under a green traffic signal. The front left portion of Backus’ Explorer struck the front right portion of the 2003 Ford Expedition driven by Edward Scanlon, 49, of Tampa, a highway patrol media release said. Backus’ vehicle rotated clockwise, overturned and then struck a pedestrian cross …
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
The two-vehicle collision on North Dale Mabry Highway, just south of Stall Road, resulted in two deaths and snarled traffic for hours.
The Tampa man who was behind the wheel of a four-door Ford pickup truck during an April 12 crash on Dale Mabry Highway and Stall Road that claimed two lives now faces two counts of vehicular homicide. The Florida Highway Patrol says Isaac Baker, 25, of 22nd Street in Tampa, was also charged with driving without a valid license. Neco J. Jones, 18, and Benjamin Lenard Fowler, 20, both of Tampa, died following the crash. The accident took place just before 6:30 a.m. on April 12. The highway patrol said Isaac Baker’s pickup was traveling northbound on Dale Mabry in the center lane, just south of Stall Road when it occurred. Isaac Baker lost control of the pickup and served to the left “for unknown reasons,” according to a highway patrol report…
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Troopers will be on the lookout for defective vehicles and improperly licensed drivers throughout Carrollwood, Northdale and all of Hillsborough County.
Has your driver’s license expired? Maybe you’ve forgotten to check whether your turn signals work properly? If you’ve been putting off those nagging little maintenance jobs that go hand-in-hand with driving, you might want to get on the ball. The Florida Highway Patrol will be on the lookout throughout the month of December for vehicles that have safety equipment defects and drivers who get behind the wheel without valid licenses. According to FHP spokesman Sgt. Steve Gaskins, Troopers will set up checkpoints all over Hillsborough County throughout December. Some of those checkpoints will be established in the Carrollwood and Northdale areas. “The patrol has found these checkpoints to be an effective means of enforcing the equipment and …
Friday, November 2, 2012
The three-vehicle crashed closed Interstate 75 for hours Friday afternoon.
Update 8:45 p.m. Nov. 2: All lanes on Interstate 75 have reopened following a fatal crash that took place earlier this afternoon. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a 2001 Ford Focus driven by Alicia Fontes-Ferraz, 20, of Tampa was merging onto northbound I-75 from Fowler Avenue around 1:50 p.m. today, Nov. 2, when the crash occurred. Fontes-Ferraz’s vehicle traveled into the path of a 2006 Kenworth semi-truck driven by Paul Pitts, 48, of Panama City, Fla. Pitts tried to avoid the crash by merging into the inside travel lane. When he did, however, his semi collided with another semi-truck. The second semi traveled into the center media and hit a concrete barrier wall, entered the median and caught fire, according to a highway patrol …
Friday, October 26, 2012
Do you plan on attending a Halloween party this weekend? A warning: the Florida Highway Patrol has launched an aggressive crackdown on impaired drivers that runs through Nov. 4.
- PUBLIC SAFETY
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Friday, October 26, 2012
If you think a Halloween costume will disguise your drunk driving, the Florida Highway Patrol has a message just for you: “Keep the party off the road.” The Patrol joins thousands of other law enforcement and highway safety agencies across the nation this week to launch an aggressive crackdown on impaired drivers through Nov. 4 throughout the area including Carrollwood roads. “The Patrol continues to make driving under the influence (DUI) enforcement a priority,” said Col. David Brierton, director of the Florida Highway Patrol. “In an effort to get impaired drivers off the road, troopers will be vigilant throughout the state with an aggressive Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over crack down.” To keep safe this Halloween, FHP recommends these …
Monday, October 15, 2012
The campaign aims to reduce accidents involving commercial vehicles.
You might want to think twice before stepping on the gas pedal to pass a slow-moving garbage truck. Florida Highway Patrol troopers could be watching. The Florida Highway Patrol is participating in Operation Safe Driver on Florida highways Oct. 14 - 20. The national awareness and enforcement campaign aims at improving both commercial and non-commercial driver behavior through education, awareness and aggressive enforcement strategies. During the week, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement troopers will be out in full force, performing commercial vehicle driver safety inspections and targeting unsafe driving habits on the roadways. “The campaign aims to educate all motorists on the risks involved with aggressive and distracted driving around …
Friday, July 20, 2012
The accident killed a man from Wesley Chapel and left two others hospitalized.
Christopher Ponce was released from Tampa General Hospital today only to find himself in the custody of the Florida Highway Patrol. The 22-year-old Carrollwood resident faces a number of charges in relation to the July 19 wrong-way crash on Interstate 275, just south of the I-4 exit. That crash killed William Brooks Angel, 20, of Wesley Chapel and seriously injured two others. According to a highway patrol media release, Ponce was arrested around 3:30 today, July 20, after his release from the hospital. He is charged with DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, two counts of reckless driving involving serious bodily injury and two counts of DUI with serious bodily injury. He was transported from the hospital to Hillsborough County’s Orient …
Thursday, July 19, 2012
The accident killed one, seriously injured two and closed a portion of the interstate in the early morning hours today.
A man driving the wrong way on I-275, just south of the I-4, exit struck another vehicle, killing the driver and hospitalizing his two passengers. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Christopher Ponce, 22, of Carrollwood was driving his black 2012 Ford Fusion south in the northbound lanes of I-275 just before 3 a.m. when he struck a black 2000 Ford Mustang driven by William Brooks Angel, 20, of Wesley Chapel. Angel died on the scene, while his passengers, 22-year old Robert Patrick Newberry of Lutz and 20-year old Jay Davis of Wesley Chapel, were rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital with serious injuries. Ponce was taken to Tampa General Hospital with serious injuries of his own. None of those involved were wearing seatbelts at the time of…
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Troopers will be on the lookout for vehicles with faulty equipment.
If you haven’t paid the price to get those sluggish brakes fixed or that broken taillight replaced, now might be the time. The Florida Highway Patrol plans to be on the lookout for vehicles with faulty equipment throughout the month of May. Troopers will also check driver’s licenses at checkpoints throughout Pasco County. Exact dates and times for the checkpoints are unavailable. According to Sgt. Steve Gaskins, highway patrol spokesman, the agency releases “possible locations (where) checkpoints may be conducted. Hours may vary.” "Recognizing the danger presented to the public by defective vehicle equipment, troopers will concentrate their efforts on vehicles being operated with defects such as bad brakes, worn tires and defective …
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
A 20-year-old Tampa man has died from injuries caused during the April 12 crash.
The April 12 crash on Dale Mabry Highway and Stall Road that ensnarled traffic for hours has claimed another life. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Benjamin Lenard Fowler, 20, of Tampa, died today as a result of his injuries. Fowler was a passenger in 2008 Ford pickup truck driven by Isaac Baker, 24. Another passenger, Neco Jones, 18, died at the scene. Three other passengers were also in the truck at the time of the accident. They received serious injuries, the highway patrol said in a media release. The accident took place around 6:30 a.m. April 12 as Isaac Baker was heading northbound on Dale Mabry in the center lane and lost control of the truck, the highway patrol said. Baker’s truck swerved to the left, hit the median, …
Fed Up
11:09 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Get your facts staight. Michael did not die from calling his girlfriend and looking at his phone. Michael died because his blood alcohol level was .30 (almost 4 times legal limit) and he was driving 93 mph. and had THC in his system. The other parties in this accident have not fully recovered. They are still not back at work and one recently had to have more surgery. more ›