HOLMES BEACH – Two cars drove into two neighboring businesses on two separate days last week, followed by a crash into a crosswalk signal and pedestrian barrier at the nearby intersection of Marina and Gulf drives.
Six people were injured in the accidents, none reported as critical.
The first crash happened on April 18 around noon when a Jeep driven by Susan Reedy of Ohio crashed into Gypsea Tides Boutique, 5602 Marina Drive. Three people were injured and taken to HCA Florida Blake Hospital and later released, including boutique owner Rexann Cecil, who posted on Facebook that the boutique would be closed until further notice.
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said Reedy reported that the car lunged forward, but after watching surveillance video of the incident, his department believed she hit the gas instead of the brake and accelerated through the store.
Tokajer said Reedy was cited with careless driving.
“The driver was unharmed,” Tokajer said. “The three taken to the hospital were all in the store and all were later released. It was the owner and two patrons.”
On April 20 around 4 p.m., a van crashed into Raders Reef, 5508 Marina Drive, just yards away from Gypsea Tides, causing even more destruction and injuring the driver and a patron inside the store, Tokajer said.
The vehicle caught fire upon impact, causing structural damage to the building, according to a West Manatee Fire Rescue incident report.
The Sun arrived on the scene less than 15 minutes after the accident and spoke to Debbie Shaw, who was working at Raders Reef.
“I had my back kind of to the side and heard a big crash, and I knew what it was before I even turned around,” Shaw said. “As soon as it hit, it was on fire. We were trying to figure out if someone was still in it. I tried to get to the car to see if someone was still inside, but the flames were too high.”
WMFR firefighters and Manatee County paramedics were on the scene in less than two minutes. Firefighters extinguished the flames, extricated the driver – the lone person in the vehicle – and secured the building. The unidentified driver was taken to HCA Florida Blake Hospital by paramedics. Both the driver and the store customer were listed in stable condition. Tokajer said the cause of the crash is under investigation.
the intersection of Marina and Gulf drives. – Jason Schaffer | Sun
The third accident happened on April 21 at 9:09 p.m. at the intersection of Marina and Gulf drives in Holmes Beach. An unidentified Bradenton man was driving a small SUV south on Marina and failed to make the turn at Gulf Drive, crashing into a crosswalk signal at the edge of the S&S Plaza parking lot. Tokajer said the cause of the accident is believed to be a medical event and no one was injured, though the driver received medical care. The damaged crosswalk signal was under repair on April 22, he said. An investigation continues.
– Kristin Swain contributed to this report
