It is almost 15 months since Lane Bursed and Meredith Smith were killed in a wreck on I-95. Burnsed, a graduate of Flagler Palm Coast High School, was 19. Smith, then still a student at FPC and a cheerleader there, was 17.
On Sunday, Louis Prinzo IV, a 23-year-old resident of Ormond Beach, was arrested and charged in the two teens’ death. Prinzo faces eight charges in all, four of them felonies, including two counts of DUI manslaughter, two counts of DUI with serious bodily injury, three counts of DUI with property damage, and one DUI count. His charging affidavit, issued by the State Attorney’s office, found that Prinzo’s blood tested positive for Oxycodone, a pain killer, and Alprazolam, an anti-anxiety medication, both of which can impair driving. The concentration of Oxycodone in Prinzo’s blood was within the normal range when the prescription drug is taken with a doctor’s order. The Alprazolam concentration was higher.
Burnsed’s family issued a statement Monday remarkable for its forbearance regarding Prinzo’s arrest.
“We are not angry or bitter and our heart goes out to Louis Prinzo and his family,” the statement read. “We can only imagine the hurt and stress that they are going through. Almost anyone could end up in the same situation be it not for the grace of God. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding his death, the world lost someone special with the death of Lane. He was generous and fun-loving and a friend to everyone he ever met. As a family we have chosen to embrace God’s providence and to honor Lane’s memory the best we can. We will continue to pray and ask God’s grace and mercy upon everyone involved.”
Louis Prinzo was arrested by the Ormond Beach Police Department and booked at the Volusia County jail, where he remains on $100,500 bond.
The arrest report provides the most detailed account yet about the circumstances surrounding the wreck in Ormond Beach late that Thursday night.
Prinzo was at the wheel of a 1996 Mercury, traveling south in the far-left lane of I-95. Immediately after passing State Road 40, which he’d intended to take, he pulled into the emergency lane, slowed down, then made a right turn directly in front of southbound traffic. The first vehicle to collide with Prinzo’s was a Chevy Blazer, driven by Doron Lyn. The front of the Chevy struck the Mercury’s right rear. Burnsed was at the wheel of a Ford F-150, with Smith in the passenger seat. He was in the left through lane, behind and to the right of Lyn. He veered left to avoid a collision with the Mercury. By then Lyn had slowed down in the far left lane. The front of the F-150 collided with the rear of Lyn’s Blazer.
That collision caused the Blazer “to ride up onto Lane Jerome Burnsed’s vehicle’s front where the tow hitch intruded into the front windshield and inside [the] compartment of [the F-150] before overturning,” the police report states. The F-150 collided with the center guard rail, where it came to a stop. Three witnesses described to police Prinzo’s driving pattern as they’d seen it before the crash.
Smith died at the scene. Burnsed died after midnight, two hours after the wreck, at a hospital. Lyn, now 31, and Tuesday Coulter, a friend of Smith’s who was riding in the F-150, were critically injured but survived. Prinzo sustained minor injuries.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers who happened to be near the scene and arrived there moments after the crash saw Prinzo still sitting behind the wheel of his car. As paramedics treated him, they all noticed that he had constricted pupils, his demeanor “not normal but lethargic and taking his time answering questions,” his arrest report states. Several paramedics noticed “an empty syringe and twisted straw with unknown substance inside it taken from the defendant’s pocket.” The toxicology report will note that evidence of marijuana consumption had also been found in his blood. Prinzo admitted to paramedics that he had “snorted some white stuff and smoked marijuana.”
Troopers obtained blood samples from Prinzo when he was being treated at Florida Memorial Hospital.
Geezer says
Now there’s a story to make you think twice before driving on narcotics.
(prescribed or not) This is done routinely and people need to be aware that it’s not ok.
Just look at what happened with this young man.
Oxycontin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, alprazolam, diazepam, and all other
controlled substances lull you into a false sense of security.
Wash them down with a beer or shots, then you are almost assured your own orange jumpsuit.
Your pupils will give you away immediately.
orphan says
I send my heartfelt hugs to the Burnsed family.
What a gracious and forgiving attitude.
It’s always so sad to see these young people carried away before their time.
For Meredith and Lane says
I am glad you are bringing attention to the dangers of narcotrics and driving but your statement, ” Just look at what happened to this young man,” makes me sick. Look at what happened to Lane and Meredith!! He made his choice; he will never be able to do enough time to undo what he chose to do. Meredith was like a daughter to me and I am very familiar with the Burnsed family. I was there to hold their loved ones as they mourned, and still do… The Burnsed’s are very generous in their ability to forgive and to think of this man’s family. It isn’t his families fault, but I’m guess I’m just not ready to forgive him for what he took from us all.
Bunnell Resident says
The Burnsed family’s statment is so classy. We need more people like them in the world!
a mom says
Although justice was served, the families and surviving victims will be forever victims.
RayGunn says
He needs to do some long jail time away from the things he loves most. Like the freedom to do anything without having to ask first for permission.
mandy mixon says
Well I happen to know louis and he has always been very respectful and had a huge heart expecially for other people. I understand he killed 2 people and got another dui a year later the same day this fatality occurred and there is no excuse for that to happen at all let al8ne twice. Louie was very upset on the one year anniversay of the victims deathband I guess thats how he coped with it. Im not sticking up for anyone or picking sides but he couldn’t be anymore remorsfull if he could do anything for the victims to be alive he would! Now its traggic for everyone in this tragedy. He has to live with this heart breaking guilt for the rest of his life knowing that he took 2 lives and their family pain. He obviously has a drug problem and unless you’ve ever had that addiction it’s very hard to judge. This whole situation is so sad and I know he needs to be punished but just think hes punished for the rest of his young life forever all of the family involed in any of this is also scared for life. My heart goes out to all of them. But I assure you all that louis is very remorsfull and of the drugs is a very sweet, intelligent, thoughtful and awsome young man. Pray for them please:(
shane says
He needs to do life in prison.