Tampa Injury News

Fill out the form
to speak to an
Injury Lawyer Now.

Rash of Car Crashes within One Week Kills Six

August 19, 2005

In less than one week, six people were killed in car accidents on Polk County roads, including an Alturas woman and her 2-year-old daughter.

Mark and Kristin Sowell and daughter, Savannah, were driving south on Masterpiece Gardens Road shortly after 5 p.m. when their Chevrolet Silverado was struck by an oncoming vehicle that was in the wrong lane. A blown tire caused David L. Metheney, 35, of Lake Wales to drive his Ford F-250 out of a northbound lane and into the path of the Sowell's vehicle, Florida Highway Patrol Capt. Linda Perkins said. Mark Sowell, 27, tried to steer his truck to the right to avoid a collision, but he was unsuccessful. The trucks collided on Masterpiece Gardens Road near Mammoth Grove Road in the Lake Wales area, an FHP report said. Kristin Sowell, 25, and Savannah were killed. Mark Sowell was injured.

Later that night in Lakeland, a 25-year-old man was killed when he walked into the path of a car on Lewellyn Road about 10:05 p.m., the FHP reported. Luis M. Lopez of Lewellyn Road was walking north on the road when he walked in front of a southbound vehicle driven by Roger A. Williamson, 39, of Lakeland, the FHP report said. Williamson was unable to see Lopez because he was wearing dark clothes and struck him north of Rushing Road, the report said.

Three days later, three other people were killed in unrelated accidents in Polk. "The majority of these crashes are driver error," the FHP's Perkins said. "It's not anything else." Chrystal L. Mock, 18, was driving on State Road 17 when her Mitsubishi and another vehicle collided at County Road 544, a Haines City police report said. Few details have been released about that crash, which occurred about 12:15 a.m. The driver of the vehicle that collided with Mock's Mitsubishi ran away from the crash scene.

Later that day, a 31-year-old man died in a two-vehicle crash just east of Lake Wales on State Road 60, the FHP reported. Richard James Cupaiole of Lake Wales was driving west in the inside eastbound lane of S.R. 60 about 10:45 p.m., an FHP report said. He collided with an eastbound vehicle driven by Derek A. Lynds, 38, of Palm City. Cupaiole, who was not wearing a seat belt, died.

The next day, a Mulberry woman died on S.R. 60 when another driver pulled in front of her path. Lynn A. Turecheck, 55, was driving her motorcycle west on S.R. 60 when Priscilla F. Workman, 57, of Tampa pulled out of a gas station near Coronet Road and onto S.R. 60, an FHP report said. Turecheck struck the left side of Workman's van, the report said. Turecheck was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, where she died.

"People just need to be a lot more cautious," Perkins said. "It's pure and simple driver error." In 2004, 142 people were killed in car accidents in Polk, the FHP reported. So far this year, more than 70 people have been killed in crashes in the county.