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Fleeing SUV heads wrong way across bridge, killing driver
ABC Action News ^
| 12/20/04
Posted on 12/21/2004 10:57:36 AM PST by presidio9
One person is dead after an SUV fleeing from state troopers headed the wrong way across the Howard Frankland Bridge and crashed into oncoming traffic early this morning.
Investigators say that a Honda CRV was involved in a minor fender-bender in the Kennedy-Westshore area around 1:40 a.m., but when troopers arrived on the scene, the vehicle took off, striking a trooper in the process.
"The gentleman in the vehicle refused all FHP trooper commands to stop and step out of the vehicle, backed his car into two FHP patrol cars, and struck Trooper Maddox with the Florida Highway Patrol's Tampa office," Trooper Larry Coggins stated.
The SUV drove southbound across the Howard Frankland in the northbound lanes with, according to one witness, its lights off. After crossing the bridge, it plowed head-on into a Ford pickup truck heading the other way with an impact so violent that both vehicles were barely recognizable afterwards.
The pickup rolled three times, ejecting the three people inside. Passengers Brittney Johnson and Lauren Lukes-Howard, both 17, were hospitalized in serious condition, along with the driver, 26-year-old Roderick Sears of Sarasota.
The driver of the SUV, which turned out to have been reported stolen from Largo the day before, was pronounced dead at the scene after his vehicle rolled twice. His identity had not been released by investigators by mid-morning.
TOPICS: Local News
KEYWORDS: badsuvbadbadsuv; evilsuv; evilsuvs; globalwarming; killersuvs; suv; suvs; vehiclesofdeath
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1
posted on
12/21/2004 10:57:37 AM PST
by
presidio9
To: presidio9
I wonder why the SUV refused to follow the police officer's commands to stop.?
2
posted on
12/21/2004 10:58:56 AM PST
by
dc27
To: presidio9
Yet another SUV going berserk and killing innocents. When will the madness end?
3
posted on
12/21/2004 10:59:11 AM PST
by
MediaMole
To: presidio9
"Fleeing SUV heads wrong way across bridge, killing driver"
Darn SUV's. . .always acting up and now one went ahead and killed a guy.
Darn SUV's. . .when will they ever learn.
To: presidio9
SUV got lose again. I always chain mine to the fence.
To: presidio9
That poor, poor driver... He should have known that owning an SUV was dangerous, but did he listen? Nooooo... He thought he could control it, but when it began to flee from the police, he had no chance... The SUV was determined to take someone, anyone, out...
6
posted on
12/21/2004 10:59:32 AM PST
by
Chad Fairbanks
("Just because you were born stupid doesn't give you any right to be stupid!" - Paul Watson to Makahs)
To: presidio9
Is the usual staff of editors on vacation? This is great! Not only do we have a SUV acting on its own volition, but we have superman as the perp: and struck Trooper Maddox with the Florida Highway Patrol's Tampa office. Whoa, don't wanna mess with that guy!
7
posted on
12/21/2004 11:00:35 AM PST
by
NonValueAdded
("We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good" HRC 6/28/2004)
To: presidio9
"...an SUV fleeing from state troopers headed the wrong way across the Howard Frankland Bridge and crashed into oncoming traffic early this morning...."
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
First it's roll-overs and lower mileage, and now they're leaving our garages and wreaking havoc....
8
posted on
12/21/2004 11:00:56 AM PST
by
Chummy
(Merry Christmas to all from Chummy and Family!)
To: NonValueAdded
Ouch. I was almost struck with the Washington State Patrol's Everett Office once... luckily it missed by a few inches and I avoided serious injury...
9
posted on
12/21/2004 11:02:06 AM PST
by
Chad Fairbanks
("Just because you were born stupid doesn't give you any right to be stupid!" - Paul Watson to Makahs)
To: presidio9
"The gentleman in the vehicle refused all FHP trooper commands to stop and step out of the vehicle, "
The trooper just should have asked the suv to stop.
10
posted on
12/21/2004 11:02:17 AM PST
by
sopwith
(don't tread on me)
To: presidio9
This is getting absolutely comical. No other kind of car spontaneously bursts into maniacal frenzies, killing its drivers or others.
SUVs are almost as evil as guns!
11
posted on
12/21/2004 11:02:36 AM PST
by
dead
(I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
To: MediaMole
The pickup rolled three times, ejecting the three people inside. This pickup seems to have been going to school with SUV's.
12
posted on
12/21/2004 11:03:12 AM PST
by
Tax-chick
(Jesus is the reason for the season which begins at sundown on December 24.)
To: Chad Fairbanks
It must have fallen on him like a couple of tons of bricks!
13
posted on
12/21/2004 11:03:15 AM PST
by
NonValueAdded
("We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good" HRC 6/28/2004)
To: dc27
A fleeing felon Ford no doubt.
Not just the headline but the lead in the article too. Unbelievable!
14
posted on
12/21/2004 11:03:53 AM PST
by
BenLurkin
(Big government is still a big problem.)
To: presidio9
HA! Third paragraph before we find out the SUV had a driver captive victim of it's evil intent.
15
posted on
12/21/2004 11:04:12 AM PST
by
OSHA
(OSHA, the Grand Wizard and Chief Executive Fascist of FreeperWorld- Industries LLC)
To: dc27
"I wonder why the SUV refused to follow the police officer's commands to stop.?"It was a Hondait only understood Japanese. Police should be trained to give commands in SUVs' native tongues, then maybe tragedies like this wouldn't happen.
16
posted on
12/21/2004 11:06:08 AM PST
by
Fabozz
To: presidio9
My SUV better listen to me before it ever decides to do anything like that, or I'm going to have to take its' keys away from it and lock it in the garage for a couple days as punishment.....
17
posted on
12/21/2004 11:06:32 AM PST
by
b4its2late
(Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.)
To: dc27
What the heck are you talking about, The SUV was administering justice to the criminal.
18
posted on
12/21/2004 11:06:45 AM PST
by
ampat
To: NonValueAdded
Here's a photo of the poor trooper, who was hit with the State Patrol's Tampa Office...
19
posted on
12/21/2004 11:08:53 AM PST
by
Chad Fairbanks
("Just because you were born stupid doesn't give you any right to be stupid!" - Paul Watson to Makahs)
To: NonValueAdded
Is the usual staff of editors on vacation? We ought to get the guy who coined "All your planes are belong to us" and have him become an editor. He can't be any worse than these guys.
I think Journalism majors are too busy taking classes like Slanting the Story 302, Pushing Polls 415 and Saving the Planet 222 to take English Composition 101.
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