Crime & Safety
Pedestrian on Cell Phone When Struck, Troopers Say
The 21-year-old woman killed in a Lutz crash last week was 'apparently on the phone,' Florida Highway Patrol officials say.
While the investigation into the fatal April 18 crash on State Road 54 in Lutz continues, the Florida Highway Patrol has released more details about the accident that killed Lacey Alane Harrelson, 21, of Odessa.
Harrelson was standing in the center lane of westbound State Road 54 around 3:30 a.m. when two vehicles struck her, the Florida Highway Patrol said in a media release issued after the crash. Those vehicles were driven by William M. Daiek, 57, of Land O’ Lakes and William Marshall Nance, 26, of Port Richey.
Patch reader Patrick pointed out last week that Harrelson was wearing a dark uniform after getting off work.
Find out what's happening in Land O' Lakesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Sgt. Steve Gaskins of the Florida Highway Patrol confirmed that Harrelson had gotten off work around “10 or 11 p.m.” April 17, but had gone out with friends afterwards.
Details about what happened to put her on foot on State Road 54 at 3:30 a.m. remain unclear. Gaskins did say, however, that “for whatever reason, she was walking on the highway, (wearing) dark clothes and speaking on the phone.”
Find out what's happening in Land O' Lakesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Gaskins said Harrelson was “distracted” before being struck by the first car.
“It’s definitely not the drivers’ fault for that,” he said.
Pedestrians Often At-Fault in Crashes
As law enforcement officials throughout the Bay area work to lower the number of pedestrian-related crashes, Gaskins said, there are steps pedestrians can take to avoid accidents.
“The majority of pedestrian crashes are the pedestrians’ fault – not using cross walks and putting themselves in bad situations.”
The Tampa Bay area continues to top national lists for pedestrian and bicycle accident fatalities. The Tampa Bay area ranks No. 2 in the nation when it comes to dangers posed to pedestrians, according to a study released by Transportation for America. It was beaten only by the Orlando-Kissimmee area in the danger department.
Stay with Land O' Lakes Patch for updates as they become available.
Get local headlines delivered to your inbox daily by signing up for the Land O' Lakes Patch newsletter.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
