Last Updated: Sept. 29, 2:05 a.m.
Beata Kinecka, a 39-year-old resident of Palm Coast, driving by herself in a van, was killed in a four-vehicle wreck on Belle Terre Parkway just north of White View Parkway late Friday night.
Six other local residents in three separate cars, including a 16-month-old baby, were injured in a wreck that involved both northbound and southbound lanes of Belle Terre Parkway.
All but one of the injured motorists were taken to Florida Hospital Flagler with non-life-threatening injuries. The wreck took place just after 9 p.m. Belle Terre remained closed until 11:40 p.m. between Whiteview and Whippoorwill Drive as Florida Highway Patrol investigators examine the scene, looking at evidence on both sides of the parkway.
The four vehicles involved were a Chrysler Town and Country minivan (driven by Kinecka); a Chevy Tahoe (driven by Nathaniel Nusz, 31, who was accompanied by his girlfriend, Samantha Thompson, 26, and his son, Nathaniel Nusz II, 16 month old); a Dodge minivan (driven by Jesus Lopez, 54, who was accompanied by his wife Alice Lopez, 57); and a Ford Ranger pick-up (driven by Ajoy Adhikari, 72).
According to the FHP’s preliminary findings and evidence at the scene, Kinecka was driving north in the Chrysler, speeding. FHP believes drinking may also have been involved. The Tahoe was on the inside lane of Belle Terre’s two northbound lanes, next to a large mattress-delivery truck. The Chrysler struck the Tahoe’s left rear bumper, leaving a deep indentation there.
Audio: What Angel Quinones Witnessed[media id=298 width=250 height=200]
After that collision, the Chrysler veered off into the median–the median that had just been manicured by Palm Coast’s public works and landscaping crews, and planted with palm trees. There are no guard rails along the parkway. Those palm trees turned into a lethal launching pad: the Chrysler struck at least two, possibly three of the trees, essentially ridding up and bending their trunks. The Chrysler then pivoted in the air, as if catapulted westward, smashing down on the southbound lanes of Belle Terre.
It did not land on the asphalt. It landed–or half-landed–on the Dodge minivan traveling southbound, smashing it, possibly while the Chrysler was upside down, then finally landing right-side up, across the inside lane of Belle Terre Parkway’s south lanes, facing west, almost perpendicular with the parkway. Just as it landed, the Ford Pick-up, driven by Adhikari, who was returning from a bridge game at church, and seeing the van appear literally out of nowhere–as he described it later–struck its left rear.
The Chrysler’s roof was flattened. Palm Coast Fire Department and Flagler County Fire Rescue paramedics were at the scene more than two hours. Parts of the side of the car had to be cut to extricate the woman’s body.
The couple at the wheel of the Caravan had just dropped off their grandchildren.
Angel Quinones, 57, the Orlando driver at the wheel of the mattress delivery truck, was among the first to witness parts of the wreck and stop.
“I was going northbound on the right hand side there, right lane, northbound,” Quinones said, “and I heard a boom, and I mean, I took a quick look, a glance to my left, and I seen where the vehicle here hit the black truck in the rear, and it took a spin out right there, and I seen how the vehicle rose up and hit the tree or something, and it rose up from the rear, I seen it like go up, and then the boom, and I got nervous. I stopped at the corner there and I ran over here.”
The scene looked terrible. Quinones went on: “I tried to see what was in this van but I didn’t get no response, so I walked over to the van in front of it, and it was two people. I asked them, you guys all right? Any children in the car? He said no, we just dropped off our grand-kids. So I opened the door just so that they [could] get some air or whatever. I told them to stay seated.”
“Everybody is from Palm Coast,” an investigator said. Jesus Lopez had a head injuries the staff at Florida Hospital Flagler, where the injured were transported, was concerned about. Otherwise, the remaining victims were treated and were due to be released Saturday morning. Adhikari had minor pain and said he would be seeing his chiropractor, but remained at the scene until he was driven home just after 11 p.m.
John’s Towing cleared the scene by 11:30 p.m. The parkway re-opened shortly after that.
Nancy Cuthbert says
That is so very sad,my son saw that accident and thought it was me because the van looked a little like mine in the dark he thought.he was so upset when he called..prayers go out to the family..very sad I will say prayers for all it affected.
Anne-Marie Shaffer says
Very sad.
Jennifer La Grande Lania says
My goodness. Prayers to all
Mike Vallely says
wow I just heard about that like a hour ago
C.d. Starr says
Praying for all involved and their families.
Justin says
Prays go out to the victims and family’s.
Ben Dover says
I hope that poor woman `s family sues the crap out of the city , for obstructing everyone`s view with them damn palm trees , I said it numerous times on this site, that them trees are blocking the the view of the north bound lanes, I know the city counsel people read this site , they should all be fired tomorrow, and take the red light camera contracts with them , safety my ass ,all they care about is money , This nonsense needs to stop, they are already tearing up the median down by Rymfire to do the exact same thing , we do not need this , we need side walks so little old lady`s walking their dogs are not doing it on a dark street at night , and so 15 yr old boys don t have to ride their bikes in the dark road at night either, get your priorities straight, and everyone else reading about this senseless accident goes to the polls and votes these irresponsible money grubbing incompetents out of office once and for all!!
Mitzi Gee says
Goodness! I am very worried about who these victims might be – I wish we had names at this point. :(
brandon says
My heart goes out to this famlies and anyone else involved in it recover well
The Truth says
Did the Palm Trees force this woman to drive drunk and speed too? That’s just ridiculous.
The Truth says
My heart goes out to all that were involved. How very sad this whole situation is, and how easily avoid it could have been.
Meredith says
First of all, with this accident it did not obstruct anyones view. She was traveling Northbound and not making any turns. I travel that road daily and have to turn off the side roads on to Belle Terre and I have never had a problem seeing both directions of traffic. The problem here is that someone was breaking the law by speeding. Now there may be others way this person was breaking the law and that will be determined after all the tests come back. So my question to you is, how is this the cities fault? I feel bad for her family, but this accident is in no way the cities fault. The only person at fault here, is the person that caused the accident.
Now I will agree with you that there needs to be more side walks and hopefully they will come soon.
Praying for everyone involved!
Just a thought says
If the first impact was the victem rear-ending another vehicle while possibly speeding, how did the trees obstruck the view?
gator says
why sues the city, she was drunk,.and speeding,,get a grip.don’t drink and speed fool.thats what cause it,
Ron says
Hey Ben: Read the article, OK. “Them (sic) trees” and median were not the cause of the accident.
FHP believes that SPEEDING and ALCOHOL were factors.
Marie-Claire Moreau says
This is an extremely sad incident. May the victim rest in peace. I have been very worried in recent years about the traffic in Palm Coast and the irresponsible driving of many residents in this area. Compound this with the percentage of drivers talking on cell phones, eating, with pets in the driver’s seat, some even reading newspapers or applying makeup, and I believe this is a problem that should be addressed in this community. I do not have the statistics but my gut says driver safety has deteriorated greatly here in the last ten years. (I realize it is not a local problem, but Palm Coast does seem to have a problem in this area.) If trees, medians, road signs, or anything else are an issue, this too must be addressed. The recent renovation in Palm Harbor near the toll is lovely, but narrows the westbound lane coming near the park considerably, causing yet another distraction and unexpected hazard for drivers headed in that direction. In addition, I urge parents to carefully consider whether children are ready for a permit before putting them behind the wheel in this area. There is a huge difference between knowing how to drive and driving safely. Please, love your kids enough to have them wait until you believe they are ready to hit the roads, not when they want a driver’s license. Peace to all.
Karol Vargas says
Dan, thanks for posting this I was on my way home and to take a different route due the accident. I was wondering what happened.
Debbie says
With trees and scrubbery planted along the medians I would think that it might help in a situation where a car might lose control and soar over them. I would think it would slow the crash down and help buffer any impact? Just saying……………..
VAC says
I knew the victim. I believe that this is neither the place or the time to be placing blames. This is time to PRAY to strengthen the victim’s family and be great full for those that survived! You will be missed my DT friend!
Magnolia says
Maybe we need something other than empty police cruisers parked in this town?
We are quickly becoming “Slaughter Alley”.
FBGrl says
Or people like Ben Dover should have their license taken away since they obviously have no clue how to drive properly.
The bottom line is that speed and possibly alcohol were involved. Take it for what it is. If you’re not going to drive safely, there’s risk involved. I just thank God no one else was killed. May the deceased rest in peace and all others quickly heal from their injuries. This could have been a lot worse.
blondee says
Anyone who thinks the palm trees were even slightly the cause of this accident needs to BEND OVER and read the article. Speed and probable alcohol were the cause.
melissa cole says
What the hell are ppl thinkin when they drink and then they get in a car wht the hell call a cab or a family or a friend to come pick to up insted of this happend im 15 years old an dmy friend was killed by a drunk driver i will never forget or forgive idk how ppl can drink and drive…… :””(
heybooboo says
While in this case the tress in the median made almost like a launching ramp, generally trees in the median act as a kind of guard rail, helping to prevent vehicle cross-overs and head-on accidents. The palm trees bent over only because they had been newly planted. Once established, their roots would not have allowed for the trees giving way but certainly speed was robably a factor. At the posted speed of 45 mph, they should have stopped a minivan.
Lets be careful about blaming the City and the Council for these median improvements (paid for with tax dollars) as a contibuting factor. This money came from the state and feds and not from COPC’s General Fund (our local taxes). If the City didn’t use these Grants, then some other city would have received them. I don’t reacll ever getting a rebate because the Gov’t didn’t spend all my tax dollars!
The comments about these kinds of accidents happening more often is trending true. I urge everyone who sees a reckless or speeding driver to call 911 or *FHP to report them.
btw-Red Light Cameras won’t have made a difference in this case. Like them or not, which I don’t.
PJ says
This is sad for those folks involved in this accident my prayers for them all……….
Palm tress in the center isle?
Who thought of this? Another great planning by the great City of Palm Coast.
Most places put the tree in locations that have minimal speeds. Set back from the edge of the road. Put these rows of trees where the speeds are going to be slower.
Like the intersections of a main road. This is where most cars slow down to stop or turn.
Too simple of an idea I guess.
No not our Palm Coast they want to line the entire road where the cars hit the top speeds. Thus this type of accident.
Motorcycles beware of those palm trees, please.
The city might save some money if they would just use the palm trees at the intersections set back from the arch of the turn. You won’t need so many tree thus again saving money and more importantly, people.
Very sad day……..
PC Driver says
A few times this week, I’ve noticed a blond women, with white sun glasses driving aggressively in a silver van, wonder if it was her. I swear the women I’ve seen seems cracked out or on crystal meth. She practically runs people off the road.
Prayers for all that were involved!
BUS DRIVER says
DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anonymous says
the two victims in the vans are,my sister and brother in law.thank you for your prays .their going to be okey..
Judy S. says
Prayers & a quick recovery to my friend Alice Lopez.. So glad I can write this to you.. we all love you Alice.. we will be waiting for you to come back to work, when you are healed .. Prayers also to all who were in this tragic accident.
J Harris says
I was literally passing the scene as the police were just racing to the scene, with my brother, son and 2 nephews returning to my house for a storage move the next day. I am new to the county and have seen my share of fatal vehicular accidents…. But this one was scary seeing that Dodge Chrysler all smashed up… All I could say was that there could be no way that the person/people in that car would have survive. I thank GOD that I was not on the street 5 minutes earlier…. It could have been us for I would have been on that lane to turn on Ponce De Leon….. Scary as hell to think how close.
The Truth says
In reality I don’t think we are. We have the benefits of finding out about these types of accidents very quickly because of sites like FlaglerLive.
More police cruisers would be nice, but people will still drive carelessly.
Anonymous says
please tell them I am praying for them Your sister and i are good friends and u too. Keep me posted please and when I can go see her. Pam Sowers formerly from grand oaks
The Truth says
I understand what you are saying, but this isn’t a problem just in Palm Coast. Any community you visit is filled with people in a rush to get where they’re going. We are in a do it now society where everyone needs to get where they’re going faster than ever before and if someone calls/texts them they have to respond immediately. I hope, that as a society, we all realize to take our time but I am not confident that this will happen.
Gator says
Heartbreaking for all who are involved. The palms & shrubbery do obstruct our view, especially if your turning from a side street on to Belle Terre. They need guard rails, not palm trees. As we read in this article the PALM TREE escalated the velocity of the accident. If there had been a guard rail there this wouldn’t have been as serious as it was. Yes, she was speeding & possibly intoxicated. You can take peoples license away, but believe me they WILL STILL DRIVE!
FE says
My wife works at Grand Oaks with the woman in the blue minivan. Prayers to them and their family.
Lefty Wilbury says
It’s getting to be death-defying driving around Palm Coast.
Why doesn’t the city care about public safety?
Palm Coast: Quit planting those visual obstructions on the medians and put in
cement guide rails in their stead.
Even if it saves just one life – it will have been a great investment.
I hope that PC is sued over these ridiculous safety hazards.
The City of Palm Coast’ government is like a dumb blonde who only cares about her looks.
Meanwhile crime and dangerous road conditions are made worse.
Our city is always crying about budget shortfalls, yet planting loads of unnecessary and expensive-to-maintain shrubbery! What a racket.
Clint says
For 50 years I have seen family after family lose a love one in a car accident due to one thing…
ALCOHOL. The government makes BILLIONS of dollars and the Judicial system makes BILLIONS more on the sale and consequences from humans consuming ALCOHOL. I blame the government for all these deaths. BAN ALCOHOL NOW !!!!!!!
Nancy N. says
We tried that, nearly a century ago. Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it. Prohibition resulted in a crime wave and the rise of organized crime in this country.
You think we’re losing the war on drugs, even though practically everyone believes they are a terrible thing? Try fighting a war against a substance that virtually everyone finds morally acceptable, believes is safe, and which used to be widely legally available.
Anonymous says
Palm trees to blame…really. Palm trees prevented this van from crossing over into the median into incomming traffic and causing more deadly injuries . For christ’s sake take responsibility for your actions(speeding and drunk driving) and quit blaming others or obstacles….harump
Denise says
Actually, the trees may have saved a life as she did not go directly across the median…simply put, don’t drink and drive!!
Anonymous says
There are so many intersections that you can not see because of trees or bushes. All along the south side of the b section the safety rails and trees block your view and over by khols.
JL says
People, the palm trees in the medium did NOT cause this accident. The person who chose to speed – did. And possibly drink and drive. If they had been driving a normal speed, the palm trees would have stopped them from entering the other lanes. The palm trees are beautiful. I have lived in many other cities around the US. Other cities choose to put up concrete barriers between the opposing lanes to help deter cars crossing into oncoming traffic. Palm Coast puts up palm trees. I think it’s a nice choice. And it’s rediculous to say they played a part in this accident. Put blame where it lies, with the driver.
We need to put harsher penalties on people who speed and who drink and drive. There are too many people dying from car accidents, and speed is usually the factor. Slow down!
Nancy N. says
Seriously? Did you even read the article? How can you say the palm trees prevented the mini van from crossing over the median into oncoming traffic when the mini van did exactly that – using two palm trees in the median as a launching pad and then landing on the roof of another vehicle in oncoming traffic on the other side of the median?
Sure the driver may have been impaired but if you are going to express an opinion about the palm tree plantings in the median maybe you ought to have your facts not 100% wrong about their effect on this incident.
The fat man rocks says
Sad news. If it is true she was drinking and opted to drive she sealed her fate. The new landscaping serves three purposes, obviously aesthetics, dampens noise across Belle Terre into the neighborhoods and keeps people on the right side of the road. If those palm trees didn’t divert her, more families may be grieving.good job PCFD, FCFR and FCSO.
israel says
think how much worse it could have been if those trees werent there? she struck a vehicle and lost controle, had nothing to do with obstruction of view. if anything those trees saved the people in the caravan or she would of plowed right into them full force.
Anonymous says
Is that a black cat in the first picture?
[No, it’s a piece of car fabric that fell there during the extraction.–FL]
Kim says
The landscaping in the medians are a terrific addition, however the planting of trees and such next to already existing tree buffers is a waste of our tax payers money. It did not cause the accident, a woman with no concern for anyone else on the road caused it and thankfully no other lives were lost.
Howard Duley says
No one mentioned the commendable act of the mattress truck driver. Thank you Sir for your action.