A two-car collision at Belle Terre Parkway and Bridgehaven Drive in Palm Coast at 9 this morning–three blocks north of St. Thomas Episcopal Church–sent a woman to the hospital after her car was T-boned and overturned by another car driven by a teen. The teen and his passenger, also a teen-ager, was unhurt.
But the southbound lanes of Belle Terre were closed to traffic for an hour, because the wreck triggered a gas leak from the Mustang.
Faith Morrison, a 25-year-old resident of Buffalo Bill Place in Palm Coast, was at the wheel of the Mustang was driving south on Belle Terre, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Sepe said at the scene, when Nicholas Knight-Lashbrook, the 18-year-old driver at the wheel of the Hyundai, pulled out of Bridgehaven. According to witnesses, Sepe said, Knight-Lashbrook pulled out in front of the Mustang, violating its right of way. The Hyundai is registered to Leta Knight of Palm Coast.
Knight-Lashbrook was issued a citation for violating a stop sign. Nicole P. Breen of Palm Coast who the passenger with Knight-Lashbrook.
Struck on its flank, the Mustang careened over the median, taking down a no-U turn sign, then ended up on its roof, facing south, in the left lane of Belle Terre’s two southbound lanes. Flagler County Fire Flight, the emergency helicopter, was briefly placed in stand-by. But a Flagler County Fire Rescue unit took the victim to Florida Hospital Flagler, suggesting that the injuries were less than traumatic.
In a comment to this story Monday afternoon, Knight wrote: “[O]nce I helped the women out of the car she was completely coherent and no bleeding ( did have a decent bruise on her forearm) but we were are okay god bless us, and as for the wreck I did not pull out infront of her or I would have been the one t bones but did stop and when I thought all the cars cleared pulled out and t boned her, watching that car flip almost in slow motion was traumatic but thanks that god was on our side and no one was injured.”
The Palm Coast Fire Department also responded and cleaned up the scene’s hazards. The Sheriff’s Offfice is investigating the accident. Roger’s Towing removed the vehicle at 9:30 a.m. The Palm Coast Fire Police diverted traffic onto Bridgehaven Drive until the road was reopened less than an hour after the wreck.
Michele nethery says
Our prayers are with all involved.
confidential says
We need tougher punishment for drivers “violating right of ways” in Florida. I see it all the time as is as well reported and cost too many lives, injuries, damages and increases in our overall car insurance.
If that injured woman was in a motorcycle she ;would have died…as the one’s reported all the time.
Nancy N. says
“Violating right of way” is basically the definition of an auto accident. Two cars do not end up occupying the same space unless someone violated someone else’s right of way. Do you want to start locking up every single person who is at fault in a car accident? Or taking away their licenses? In Flagler, we averaged between 600-800 crashes per year between 2007 and 2011. That’s an awful lot of people locked up or with no transportation. Are you prepared to pay the cost for the prisons or public transportation that would be needed to deal with that?
I think what you were really trying to address in your comment is careless and reckless driving, and we already have laws with severe penalties for those. Just because you have an accident, and even are at fault, doesn’t mean that you are a terrible driver or weren’t trying to drive responsibly. No one is perfect and with the amount of time we all spend on the road these days, all it takes is one instant for something bad to happen despite our best efforts. Accidents are sometimes just well, accidents. It’s about intent and how you handle yourself on the road.
Anonymous says
I live in that area. Pulling out from Bridgehaven Drive onto Belle Terre or other intersections in this area are very dangerous, as the view is partially obstructed by the “decorative fencing” that shows in the photos above. The clear view cant be more than 10 or 15 feet even if you pull your car slightly into Belle Terre to see. Its almost a gamble either getting clipped in the front end or getting t-boned. Its realy exciting for inexperienced drivers. Cars on BT travel this distance in a mater of seconds. This is really a bad area.
notanonymous says
Well said Nancy! Accidents are traumatic and cause a ripple effect but, Mr/Ms Anonymous, without having any other information dont you think your being pretty harsh? Would you change your mind if you found out the driver was going too fast or talking on the telephone or changed lanes etc? Anger and finger pointing only makes a bad situation worse and why would anyone want to do that. The driver got a ticket and will have to answer to that….. what more do you want?
confidential says
The suggested tougher punishment did not say prison served for non lethal or catastrophic injuries caused. Instead should be given much higher monetary fines, long probation terms with no traffic violations, mandatory pay and take driving school completed, community service and any additional penalties decided by the judge. Needles to say that the car insurance of the aggressor should be raised properly so the rest of us responsible drivers, do not have to endure increases in our premiums in the long term for the insurance market overall losses.
orphan says
[Fact-check: the commenter is wrong to refer to driving as a “privilege.” It is a right, and recognized by Florida courts as such.–FL]
When one *violates* it means that one is guilty of doing something against one or more laws.
While I don’t suggest that EVERYONE who causes a traffic accident should be put behind bars-I think that if MORE people causing accidents were denied the PRIVILIGE of being allowed to be in control of a vehicle is paramount!
As I have said so many times before, (quoting myself here), “An accident happens due to an unforeseen situation.”. This current situation means no more to me than the driver at fault should be charged with assault with a deadly weapon-the vehicle. If that means the driver should be locked up/deprived of the PRIVILIGE of endangering those of us who abide by the laws and want to continue living, then while I feel for that person, I stand behind my own feelings and my desire to continue to live.
Florida Native. says
Every street that enters Belle Terre and having to make a left hand turn between Palm Coast Parkway and Matanzas Woods needs a traffic light. After a few people get killed, red lights will be installed. Because of the 45 mph speed limit (everybody goes 55 and up) it is next to impossible to make a left hand turn at peak times. Tragedy will occur at some point and probably sooner than later. I hope these folks are ok.
Ben Dover says
If I have one more idiot fly out in front of me by Steak N Shake while I have green light on Palm Coast Parkway its been done 5 times in last week I have to fly in another lane to avoid them, next one, I will get in front of and stop and smash your face threw your window , knock it the f#%k off , my body is busted up enough from people crossing median on Belle Terre hitting me head on , then some insurance scam couple running me into tree at 60mph on US 1 , not taking it ANYMORE
Anonymous says
No, finding out that the driver could have been distracted doesn’t make the obstructed view any clearer. Whats harsh about that comment? Cars on BT travel at least 45 mph, thats 66 ft per second. I bet you cant see more than 15 ft to the left (thats equivalent to a quarter of a second distance at 45 mph) onto BT unless you pull into a BT intersection. Those fences and overgrown shrubbery are part of the problem. – Mr. Anon.
Nancy N. says
OMG that exact same thing happened to me the other day on PC Parkway by Steak N Shake – a little old lady turned right on red almost right into my front fender while I was traveling through the intersection on a green light (and not speeding). I had to swerve into the other lane to avoid hitting her. Then when I pulled back in front of her, to add insult to injury, she sat behind me WAGGING HER FINGER AT ME like **I** did something wrong?
I think the problem is that people think the road is clear because they don’t realize that there are cars moving through the intersection that are hidden in the blind spot behind the cars slowing down to turn right onto Cypress Point to go to Walmart, etc.
Nancy N. says
People who get tickets get huge surcharges on their insurance. I’m not sure how you can think they don’t…that’s where the true cost penalty of a ticket kicks in. The penalty you end up paying your insurance company for even a basic speeding ticket is many times what the price of the ticket itself is.
What you are asking for is to criminalize basic traffic violations (you can’t impose sanctions like that without it being a criminal offense), which opens up a whole can of worms from a social standpoint. I really don’t think you understand the true implications of your proposal.
The financial drain on society would be immense of all the fines, fees for community service, and other financial penalties. You’ve already seen the effects on this community of all the money being drained out of it by the red light cameras – multiply those effects for your proposal.
Then there’s the issue of half of society would now have a criminal record. This would affect everything from their employment opportunities to their housing, to their credit….you cannot conceive of the global implications of this on people’s lives.
You use the word “aggressor” in your comment, assuming that every accident takes place because someone is engaging in aggressive driving behavior. Sometimes, accidents just happen because of poor driving conditions or someone flat-out making a MISTAKE. But I suppose you are perfect and have never made one of those?
Around twenty years ago I was in my early twenties and moved with my brand new husband to a large metro area. All of my driving experience had been in much smaller towns with much different driving conditions. One day, leaving the grocery store, I made a left turn at a difficult driveway and misjudged traffic that was approaching me. I struck an approaching vehicle as a result. I’m a conservative driver but was just inexperienced in driving under those conditions and made a mistake as a result. You are basically suggesting that I have a criminal record for the rest of my life because I needed to get some experience under me in my new driving situation. No class, or fine, or community service is going to teach a person that. Only being on the road and doing it will.
just saying says
http://www.flhsmv.gov/ddl/duilaws.html
If it was a right, then how can the DMV do an administrative suspension and only can be reviewed by DMV administrators when it requires a judge to revoke other rights?
orphan says
I’m with you here, Nancy.
I think that what you are experiencing is that the average driver in this area is from an URBAN area and this area is more laid back (so to speak).
While watching parking-lot maneuvers around here, I see exactly why we have these terrible accidents. It’s all about “me me me me”.
If I were to cause and/or be injured in an accident (wait)-assault, if it were my fault, I would humbly acknowledge my culpability! I promise that to the world. That is unfortunately not the norm.
We need to stop thinking of accidents as ACCIDENTS!!! In most cases every wreck is caused by someone doing something detrimental to their fellow road-sharing denizen.
Until we send a message to the people-in general-that a driver of a vehicle is holding a loaded weapon within his/her grip nothing will change. Can anyone fault that? Can anyone even consider arguing with that?
We need to make the traffic law penalties (not through fines) so tough that the drivers who so blatantly ignore common sense and common decency *FEEL* THE PINCH.
Here it is in a nutshell. If you cause an accident because of being preoccupied by WHATEVER, you need to do at LEAST a day in the slammer! Don’t like that? Stay off the devices that WILL get you into this situation, the slammer.
Bottom line: We are all here for a short time/please don’t cut yours or mine shorter. Especially mine!
Outsider says
In summary, I will just say most Palm Cast drivers suck.