the skyway accident report.

02.24.05: wrecks on skyway kill 2, injure 1

thank you, jumpnews contributor:
02.24.05, Jessica, Apollo Beach, FL., Hi, I found this on TBO home page, just happened about an hour ago i think....
Two Killed In Accident On Sunshine Skyway, 02/24/05 10:05:43 AM
TAMPA - The northbound lanes of the Sunshine Skyway were temporarily closed Thursday morning due to a fatal accident. Florida Highway Patrol officers said that two people died in the crash near the top of the bridge over Tampa Bay.
A car involved in an earlier hit-and-run drove into the wrong lane and hit two other cars, according to FHP. The driver who was driving the wrong way and the driver of one of the cars he hit were killed in the crash.
The lanes of the Skyway bridge are now open. -- News Channel 8

02.25.05, © St. Petersburg Times, Erica L. Reed wanted nothing but the best for her newborn son.
Less than a month after giving birth, she was back at work with two jobs. Full time for a Tampa insurance company as a sales agent. Part time as a host for a Bradenton restaurant.
But the long hours would soon end. Another insurance company had offered Reed more money, and the single mother looked forward to starting the new job on Monday and spending more time with her son, Anthony Devon William Reed.
Instead, he will never know his mother.
Early Thursday, a man fleeing an accident drove the wrong way on the Sunshine Skyway bridge and slammed head on into Reed's car as she drove home from work. Reed, 27, and the man who hit her died at the scene.
"She was hard-working," said Reed's sister, Monica Williams. Her second job "was something to do to keep the bills paid up until she was able to get this other job on Monday. She would have been set up after that."
Trooper Larry Coggins, Florida Highway Patrol spokesman, said Joel C. Melody, 25, of 10130 Yacht Club Drive, Treasure Island, crashed his Jeep Grand Cherokee head on into Reed's Nissan Maxima.
After Melody hit Reed, of 3157 Diamond Knot Circle, Tampa, he hit the front end of a Buick LeSabre driven by Tammy A. Webb, 27, of 5824 S Sixth St., Tampa. Webb was listed in serious condition at Bayfront Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman said. Melody had been involved in a earlier wreck in St. Petersburg, Coggins said, and had fled the scene.
Butch Rinard Jr., 47, was exiting northbound Interstate 275 at 54th Avenue S when he saw car traveling toward him, headed the wrong direction on the exit ramp.
The car slammed into the back of Rinard's Toyota Celica, spinning it around. Rinard thought the other driver, later identified as Melody, was going to stop. But he recovered and continued up the exit ramp and onto I-275, headed toward the Skyway.
Angry, Rinard chased behind, wanting to get the license number.
Rinard followed Melody toward the Skyway, and didn't realize he was traveling south in the northbound lanes until he saw the toll booth on the other side of the road, Rinard said.
He got behind Melody, traveling about 85 mph, and copied his license plate.
Oncoming traffic swerved out of the way, Rinard said.
Rinard pulled beside Melody. He honked his horn, flashed his lights, shouted for him to pull over.
Melody glanced over just once.
"He had kind of a blank look," Rinard said. "I saw no anger, no nothing. I saw no recollection of the accident, or even any emotion toward me. He looked over, then continued on."
Rinard said he pulled in front of Melody and started to decelerate, hoping to slow him down. But he said Melody just inched closer.
Rinard decided to pull off at the northbound rest stop exit, about 40 seconds after the chase began.
"I figured I wasn't going to go over the Skyway and chance it," said Rinard, of St. Petersburg.
He spotted a state trooper at the rest stop and told him a man was heading the wrong way up the bridge.
The trooper sped off, and Rinard stood beneath a full moon, watching the bridge.
He saw a stream of car headlights racing across the bridge, then suddenly, without a sound, they stopped.
Then the sirens began to wail, and Rinard knew what had happened.
Reed was the youngest of three daughters born to Clark and Elflora Reed.
Her middle sister, Monica Williams, described Reed as the most organized of the siblings.
She was funny but had a serious side, Williams said. Since Anthony's birth, Reed was starting to change, her sister said.
"Before, you're a single person and it's all about you," Williams said. "Then, when you have the baby, it kicks in that it's no longer about you. That's why she decided to get the new job. She knew that it was more than just her that she had to feed and support."
Reed graduated high school from Tampa Bay Tech and then began working for Bankers Life and Casualty insurance company.
Her oldest sister, Angela Sosik, said Reed was so good at her job, she won a trip to Hawaii last year.
"She took me as her date," said Sosik. "I was very proud of her."
Elizabeth Ovitt started work for Bankers Life and Casualty on the same day as Reed three years ago. "We were pretty much best friends," Ovitt said. "She was the one I could tell anything to without being judged."
Ovitt said Reed was the "life of the party." She laughed at Ovitt's jokes, even when they weren't funny, Ovitt said.
"I'm going to miss our four-hour chats about nothing . . . that friendship where you could call any time, any place, and just know she would be there on the other line until you're done."
Melody was cited for careless driving, a seat belt violation and an expired tag in June 2003 in Palm Beach County, according to state records.
He was convicted and received three points on his license for the careless driving charge, records show. His driving record also includes a citation for speeding in 1999, 80 in a 60 mph zone.
Melody's relatives declined to comment. "Are you kidding? We're grieving," said a woman who answered the phone Thursday.
Melody's mother died within the last two weeks, said Coggins. Melody's mother, 46-year-old Debby Angelo, owned her own day care center and Yesterday's Cafe in Treasure Island.
He did not know whether that was a factor in Melody's actions, or whether alcohol played a role.
The FHP is awaiting results of toxicology tests, which could take weeks.
Had Joel Melody survived the accident, Reed's sister said she hopes he would have learned a lesson. A lesson, Williams said, she and her family plan to teach to Anthony.
"Own up to your mistakes," Williams said. "Every action has a consequence. And this is one of the most serious actions to be taken. Someone has lost their life."
Reed's sisters are thinking a lot about lessons - lessons Erica Reed won't be around to teach her son.
"She wanted Anthony to go to college, to be a law-abiding citizen," Williams said, "and to be a man that is respectful of women."

02.26.05, © St. Petersburg Times, Driver's pursuit unwise, FHP says

07.10.05, Angela S., Tampa, FL., Thank you for the story on my sister, Erica Reed, who was killed on the Skyway Bridge on 2/24/05. I've recently had the courage to start looking at articles, which why I have not previously given my thanks. May I please request to have any and all stories relating to this accident. Specifically, I am looking for the Butch Rinard mentioned in this article. If you have any information as to how I can contact him since his name was not mentioned in the police report, it is really important to all of our family to locate him. My cell number is 813-[number withheld] if you would like to get in touch with me about anything having to do with my sister. I would like any article clippings, newsclippings, letters to paper expressing their sympathy. As you know, she has a son named Anthony who will never know his mother. Therefore, before this story gets too old in everyones mind, I would like to add to my memory box. I was too choked up to say much when the newspaper columnist contacted our family. But I can now that you just never realize how much a person is part of your life in every aspect. I can barely get through a day without tearing up and it's almost been 5 months. Thank you so much for your attention as I know that your time is very valuable. Again, I would add that this is something that means a lot to my entire family. (we are sorry for your loss. our condolences to you and erica reed's family. this site is mainly focused on people that jump off the bridge under their own power. we post various articles about other skyway incidents only as a side note. we did look around for further information and forwarded our findings to you. if anyone contacts us with more on this story, we will forward that information to you as well. we wish you much success in finding what you seek.)

06.17.07, Cece, france, I need to reach the sister of my friend Erica Reed that died in a car crash on the skyway Bridge in Tampa, florida. Her sister also wrote on 07.10.05, Angela S.,a thank you letter and gave her number on your site that's apparently being withheld. Please give her my email adress to reach me or give me her number so I can call her. Thank you so much for your help. I need to give her my condoleances and maybe get a picture of Erica. (we passed your email to angela, but it was returned 'no such address'. we then sent you the cell number she provided for contact. good luck.)

11.17.04: bus passengers prevent a skyway disaster when driver dies.

thank you, jumpnews contributor, bill e., brandon, fl.

11.18.04, cnn.com: Passengers stop bus from falling off bridge, Driver dies from possible heart attack
Thursday, November 18, 2004 Posted: 8:28 AM EST (1328 GMT)
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) -- Passengers stopped a charter bus from plunging nearly 200 feet off a bridge after the driver collapsed, apparently from a heart attack.
The bus was near the top of the Sunshine Skyway bridge Wednesday afternoon when Thomas Grove, 61, fell out of his seat, passengers and authorities said.
It slammed into the 3-foot concrete wall, which blocks vehicles from tumbling into Tampa Bay. Three of the five passengers jumped out of their seats and ran toward the front.
"Grab the wheel!" 70-year-old Kenneth McAllister recalled shouting to his wife, Mary, and another woman.
The women held the steering wheel until McAllister could slide into the driver's seat. He struggled to keep the bus in its lane and hit the brake. It stopped just before the highest part of the bridge.
The passengers -- all unharmed -- called 911 and Amtrak, which uses the bus to shuttle passengers from Fort Myers to Tampa. They spent another 10 minutes in the bus because they didn't know how to open the door.
Two nurses driving by stopped to help, performing CPR on the driver. Grove, of Pinellas Park, died within hours at a hospital. Early reports suggested he may have had a heart attack, authorities said.
"It happened so fast," McAllister, of Bradenton, said from his cell phone aboard an Amtrak train to New York City late Wednesday. "We all felt so lucky to be alive."

11.18.04, © St. Petersburg Times, Bus riders step up to avert a Skyway disaster. When the driver loses consciousness near the top of the bridge, passengers struggle to stop the bus. By JAMIE THOMPSON, Published November 18, 2004
The charter bus was near the top of the Sunshine Skyway bridge Wednesday afternoon when it suddenly veered to the right and slammed into the 3-foot concrete wall.
The 61-year-old driver toppled out of his seat and collapsed by the bus doors.
As the bus swerved 197 feet above Tampa Bay, three of the five passengers jumped out of their seats and ran toward the front, fearing they all might pitch over the side of the bridge.
"Grab the wheel!" 70-year-old Kenneth McAllister shouted to his wife and another woman.
The women lurched toward the wheel and held it until McAllister could slide into the driver's seat.
He fought to keep the large bus in its lane as cars whizzed past. His foot slammed the brake, bringing the bus to a stop. It was about 3:55 p.m.
Breathless, shaking, the five passengers stared at each other, unable to speak. The bus driver lay limp by the door.
"It happened so fast," McAllister said from his cell phone aboard an Amtrak train to New York City late Wednesday. "We all felt so lucky to be alive."
None of the passengers was injured, but the driver, Thomas Grove of Pinellas Park, died within hours at Bayfront Medical Center, said Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Larry Coggins. Initial reports suggested Grove may have had a heart attack, authorities said.
The bus is owned by Martz First Class Coach in St. Petersburg but operates for Amtrak, shuttling passengers from Fort Myers to Tampa.
The drama Wednesday began shortly before 4 p.m. as five passengers sat quietly on the bus, hoping to catch a train to New York City.
Three passengers slept, McAllister said, while he and his wife, Mary, talked quietly and looked out the window at the Sunshine Skyway bridge. The Bradenton retirees were heading to see their son and grandchildren in New York.
McAllister first noticed something was wrong as the bus traveled toward the top in the northbound lane. He felt it veer and then heard the bus hit the concrete wall.
His wife, sitting in the aisle seat, quickly ran toward the front, as did another passenger, and McAllister followed, shouting instructions.
"The bus driver's head was down by the door, and we thought maybe he fell asleep and hit his head," Mary McAllister said.
All her husband could think about was grabbing the wheel and finding the brakes, which he finally did.
He slammed them all the way to the floor, and the bus stopped just before the highest part of the Skyway. It took about 20 seconds to stop it, he said.
As the wind whipped the bus, McAllister wasn't sure what to do next. No one knew how to open the doors. And they knew the driver needed help immediately.
With his foot pressed to the brake, McAllister waved to passing cars, trying to get them to stop. Finally, two nurses pulled over, but neither knew how to open the bus doors.
Passengers called 911 and McAllister dialed Amtrak.
"I'm driving one of your buses, I'm on the top of the Skyway, and I don't work for you," McAllister told them. "You better get someone up here, fast!"
After about 10 minutes, the passengers were able to open the doors, and the nurses began performing CPR on the driver.
The passengers stood together in the wind, worrying about the driver, talking about how lucky they were.
"It was very scary, but I think in a time like that, my husband realized he had to do something," Mary McAllister said. "We were all in really big trouble."
To her, it came as no surprise that her husband, a retired IRS agent, acted so swiftly. He's always reading safety material on buses, planes or trains, and acts with a calm head, she said.
Bob Dasch, Martz safety director, said bus driver Grove was an experienced employee who drove buses up north, retired to Florida and then wanted to continue driving.
"He was fantastic with people," Dasch said. "He was an excellent driver and physically fit."
Grove will be missed, said Dasch, who was grateful that none of the passengers were injured.
"They did a wonderful job," he said, "everything they could."
Amtrak sent a station wagon to take the five passengers - including a retired couple from New Jersey and a South Carolina attorney - to the station so they wouldn't miss their train. They squeezed into the wagon with their luggage and talked about the ordeal on the way to the train station.
"It's amazing how all five of us stuck together and we all became sort of like good friends in a very short time," Kenneth McAllister said. "Everybody was thanking everybody, saying "Man, you did a great job.' It was a good feeling."
By nightfall, McAllister and the other passengers were gliding north on their train.
They hoped the rest of their journey would be uneventful.
"That's why I decided to travel this way," he said, chuckling. "I thought it would be safer than flying."
- Times researchers Carolyn Edds and Caryn Baird contributed to this report.