• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
    • Privacy Policy
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2024
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

Car and Semi Tangle on I-95 and Dive Down 30-Foot Ravine in Sunday Morning Wreck

January 20, 2013 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

The cab portion of the semi truck just after it was fished out of a pond at the bottom of a 30-foot ravine, below the billboard. And no, State Farms is not an advertiser. Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)
The cab portion of the semi truck just after it was fished out of a pond at the bottom of a 30-foot ravine, below the billboard. And no, State Farm is not an advertiser. Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)

I-95 just north of the Old Dixie Highway exit was the scene of a spectacular crash at dawn Sunday, as a semi truck and a Lincoln Town Car collided, then jointly swerved off the highway and down a 30-foot ravine, into a retention pond.

Click On:


  • Richard Resnicoff, 68, of Grand Haven, Is Killed in a Puzzling Incident With His Wife
  • FHP Looking for Red Trail Blazer in Hit-and-Run that Killed Sean Lynn Ryan
  • Tony Hugueley, 64, Dies of Injuries After Driving Antique Chevy Into the Woods on A1A
  • Plane Carrying 3 People Crashes Into Home on Utica Path, Killing All Aboard
  • Codie Barlow, 20, Killed in Bike Wreck on Palm Coast’s Pacific Dr. in Earliest Hours of 2013
  • David Brown, 55, of Palm Coast, Killed in Motorcycle Wreck on Deadly Stretch of U.S. 1
  • Morning Sickness: From Kate Middleton To a Dead Woman on I-95
  • Jaime Hutcherson, 23, of Palm Coast, Is Killed in a Motorcycle-SUV Wreck on US1
  • Meredith Smith, 17, and Lane Burnsed, 19, Killed in Wreck
  • Car Plows Through Publix Entrance at Belle Terre; 10 Injured, But Heroic Acts, Too
  • The Crash Archives

The wreck seriously injured the truck driver and left Robert Earl Lewis, the 35-year-old driver of the 1998 Lincoln (and Palm Coast resident), somehow unscathed, though Lewis was shaken up. Eric C. Whyne, the 46-year-old driver of the truck, was taken to Florida Hospital Flagler.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol investigator at the scene, the 10-wheel Freight Liner, which was not hooked to a trailer, and the Lincoln, were driving north on I-95 at 5 this morning (Jan. 20). Lewis told the investigator that he suddenly saw in his rear-view mirror that a large pick-up truck was speeding his way, very fast. Lewis thought the pick-up truck was going to hit him. He swerved toward the right shoulder to avoid him–and lost control of the Lincoln.

The Lincoln’s tire marks could be seen arcing in and out of the shoulder onto the Interstate. The Lincoln’s right-front bumper bore a thick black mark from where it struck a tire on the semi, and both semi and car, somehow, either locked or parallel to each other, then veered right several dozen yards, through the wide grassy area ahead of a pond–and dove in, unable to stop. The pond was shallow, but 30 feet below the level of the road. The semi had traveled far enough across the length of the pond, which is more than 30 feet across, to hit the other side of the pond, and leave parts of its hood there, before crashing down.


“That’s what he says happened,” the investigator said of Lewis. “Did it happen that way? Based on my 28 years of experience, I tend to believe the fellow.” Whyne told the investigator that he was traveling at about 70 miles an hour, when suddenly a car struck him.

Lewis was able to crawl out of his car and up the steep walls of the pond to get back to street level and flag down help. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for any drivers passing by to know that the two vehicles were at the bottom of the pond. Whyne was immobilized in his cab, and had to be extricated by teams from Flagler County Fire Rescue and Ormond Beach paramedics, who were called in to help.

Roger’s Towing removed the vehicles by 10 a.m. By then, while the Lincoln was still in one piece, the cab of the truck had been severed from its trailer section. The Department of Transportation and the Department of Environmental Protection were due to rebuild the fencing around the pond, and clean up the minor environmental spill: oil and diesel. The investigation continues. Traffic on I-95 was never impeded.

The semi traveled across the pond (more than 30 feet across) before crashing down, leaving parts of its hood on the other side of the embankment. Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)
The semi traveled across the pond (more than 30 feet across) before crashing down, leaving parts of its hood on the other side of the embankment. Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)

 

The Lincoln. Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)
The Lincoln. Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)

 

The cab had close encounters with trees. Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)
The cab had close encounters with trees. Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)

 

The remains of the trailer, as Roger's Towing's crew worked on it. Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)
The remains of the trailer, as Roger’s Towing’s crew worked on it. Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)

 

The driver's side of the Lincoln. Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)
The driver’s side of the Lincoln. Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)

 

Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)
Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)

 

The pond, post-fishing. Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)
The pond, post-fishing. Click on the image for larger view. (© FlaglerLive)
Support FlaglerLive's End of Year Fundraiser
Thank you readers for getting us to--and past--our year-end fund-raising goal yet again. It’s a bracing way to mark our 15th year at FlaglerLive. Our donors are just a fraction of the 25,000 readers who seek us out for the best-reported, most timely, trustworthy, and independent local news site anywhere, without paywall. FlaglerLive is free. Fighting misinformation and keeping democracy in the sunshine 365/7/24 isn’t free. Take a brief moment, become a champion of fearless, enlightening journalism. Any amount helps. We’re a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donations are tax deductible.  
You may donate openly or anonymously.
We like Zeffy (no fees), but if you prefer to use PayPal, click here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. The Geode says

    January 20, 2013 at 3:41 pm

    That picture screams “irony”. Either State Farm or those guys on the billboard owes you a buck or two for that shot…

    Loading...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Conner Bosch law attorneys lawyers offices palm coast flagler county
  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Primary Sidebar

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • Ed Danko, Former Vice-Mayor PC on Judge France Signs Order Against Palm Coast Mayor Norris, Ending Attempt to Unseat Gambaro
  • JimboXYZ on Pier Construction Update: Parking Zone for 3 Blocks around the Pier Will Be Eliminated
  • Deborah Coffey on Pier Construction Update: Parking Zone for 3 Blocks around the Pier Will Be Eliminated
  • Deborah Coffey on Data Center Planned for 2028 in Palm Coast Cloaked in More Secrecy and Undocumented Boasts than Answers
  • Shawn on 5 Felony Charges for Palm Coast IT Administrator Accused of Launching Cyber Attack on His Company After He’s Fired
  • Big Mike on Data Center Planned for 2028 in Palm Coast Cloaked in More Secrecy and Undocumented Boasts than Answers
  • JimboXYZ on Flagler OARS Offers Free Narcan Distribution Kiosks for Local Businesses
  • KMedley on Judge France Signs Order Against Palm Coast Mayor Norris, Ending Attempt to Unseat Gambaro
  • Matt on 5 Felony Charges for Palm Coast IT Administrator Accused of Launching Cyber Attack on His Company After He’s Fired
  • Sherry on Welcoming Immigrants, Detroit Ends Decades of Population Declines
  • Bo Peep on Pier Construction Update: Parking Zone for 3 Blocks around the Pier Will Be Eliminated
  • Ed P on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, July 10, 2025
  • Sherry on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, July 10, 2025
  • John on Pier Construction Update: Parking Zone for 3 Blocks around the Pier Will Be Eliminated
  • Sherry on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, July 11, 2025
  • Ray W, on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, July 11, 2025

Log in

%d