A three-vehicle crash shut down Florida Park Drive in Palm Coast between Fawn Lane and Fayette Lane shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon. The road reopened at 4:40 p.m.
Flagler County Sheriff’s Deputies had responded to the scene, as had units of the Palm Coast Fire Department, until a Florida Highway Patrol investigator arrived and took over the scene at 3:29 p.m.
Other units, including rescue units of Flagler County Fire Rescue, evacuated the injured and left earlier. The delay in opening the road after 4 p.m. was due to the late arrival of a wrecker.
Three people were hurt and transported to Florida Hospital Flagler, suggesting that the injuries sustained were not life-threatening. (Traumatic injuries require transport to Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach.) At 4:30 p.m., all three victims’ conditions were reported as stable.
The victims were Elini Kiss, 74, of Palm Coast; Constance N. Sheehy, 79, of Palm Coast; and Mark Stephen Sapienza, 39, of Apopka. He was visiting his mother in Palm Coast.
The wreck took place at the intersection of Florida Park Drive and Ferdinand Lane. It involved a white Dodge minivan that was broadsided, a Nissan Versa that took the brunt of the collision from the front (its front end is demolished), and a Ford Crown Victoria struck in its left rear.
Reconstructing the scene, the FHP investigator said that from his initial observations, the Ford, driven by Sapienza, appeared to be driving north and making a left turn onto Ferdinand Lane when it was rear-ended by the van, driven by Kiss. Sheehy was at the wheel of the Nissan, driving south, and broadsided the van on the van’s driver’s side. No fault has yet been assigned.
The Palm Coast Fire Police was diverting northbound traffic onto Fawn Lane. Southbound traffic was being diverted onto Fayette Lane, to Farragut Drive, which then goes either to Old Kings Road or to Farragut Lane, and back to Florida Park Drive, around the area of the wreck.
Not to be denied, at 3:53 p.m., a pizza delivery man called Jason, delivering for Five Star Pizza, was seen running past the road blockage with a pizza in hand, to make a delivery several houses north of the barrier. He delivered, then ran back south.
It is unclear why the wreck took as long as it did to be investigated. The Florida Highway Patrol always investigates the most serious wrecks, with exclusive jurisdiction over wrecks involving fatalities or traumatic injuries that may result in fatalities. But it remains unclear where the line is between FHP’s jurisdiction and that of the sheriff’s office at lesser wrecks, like today’s. Flagler deputies were at the scene first. They gathered information, but had to wait on the arrival of an FHP investigator.
FHP dispatched a trooper within minutes of the crash, but that trooper was near the Putnam County line and ended up being diverted. Many troopers today happened to be in court, and the agency was short-staffed on the road–as it has been chronically, due to cutbacks, over the years.
John’s Towing was called in soon after the trooper arrived at the scene and the wreckage was cleared.
PC Mom says
Heck yeah!! Go Jason!!! ;)
blondee says
Atta boy Jason! Keep those pizzas movin’!!!!
Lonewolf says
We’ve learned one thing…the pizza’s must go through!
Palm Coaster says
Let me start by saying i hope everyone involved is ok but does it really matter that this guy got his pizza delivered???Just saying…….
Deep South says
Brush Fires,,Hurricanes, and Wrecks the pizza must be delivered.
Safety guy says
Business is business. He realized there was nothing he could do and was real close to his customer so he delivered the pizza! He was not involved in this he was blocked by it. What would you have had him do, hold a prayer meeting and take a collection or just have him sit in his car, listen to some tunes, and eat the pizza? Finally a person shows some critical thinking and is chastised for it.. Palm Coaster next time it could be your pizza during the Superbowl, we trust. Get over it, it is a article in a news paper. The emergency was over. It goes to “Human interest” reporting. This could make the Jay Leno show!
downinthelab says
It was the weather. Most definitely the weather. Severe clear out there today, and the lack of humidity makes driving even more tricky.
More people are killed by elderly drivers than by guns every year, it’s time time we….
Shark says
Why don’t they train the Barney Fife deputies in this town how to investigate these accidents?????
confidential says
Jason proves that American Workers are NOT irresponsible and lazy! Even while working part time, if they get paid minimum salary or on commission only and no benefits or medical insurance, in a county with the “highest unemployment rate”
Yes it really matters, besides the reporting of three drivers wrecking each other on a supposed low speed limit city street! Hope they recover from their injuries and drive more carefully from now own.
livesinpalmcoast says
Considering not one person was serioiusly injuried, it was funny to mention the pizza guy, Jason. It lightened the story :)
The Geode says
Even though the pizza story wasn’t “germane” to the crash story, it WAS however, an attempt to add levity to a depressing story. I myself thought it was a nice touch and shows the seriousness of a guy doing a menial job and having PRIDE in doing the job well. We need more Jasons and less “sour-pusses”.
emile says
The depressing part of the story was not only the injuries to the accident victims, but also the delay in getting law enforcement to investigate the accident. There should be a clear definition of responsibilities between the sheriff’s office and the FHP to investigate non-fatal auto accidents within the city limits.
Many years ago we were involved in an accident on the interstate. It took 3 hours to get a Highway patrol officer to come since the local police were on the scene and no one was aware that they were supposed to notify the state police. These things happen, but by now there should be fewer incidents of this kind.
confidential says
Kudos to Jason!