Fatal accident on Beeline on way to WDW

[lovetotravel1974]

This was in todays Orlando paper.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...4jul05,0,749759.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

 

[Familyof14]

That's just awful and the main reason we choose not to drive to Disney. Been there and done that...it is not fun! We have witnessed many accidents near Orlando.
I wish that my extended family was not driving.

 

[drgnfly30]

One of the reasons, I too, am unwilling to drive again... we saw a fatal accident on I-95 on the GA border in 2001... we were about a 1/4 mile behind it, the police hadn't even arrived yet - closed it down for hours, helicopters... the whole nine yards. Totally freaked me out!
But those things can happen close to home too, a dear friend of mines sister got killed in an accident on Sunday - July 4th.. 3 of her 5 kids are still in the hospital, if her 14yo DS pulls through he may lose his eyesight.
What a bummer

Christine

 

[Chicago526]

That's so sad!

 

[DebbieB]

That's one thing that scared me after 9/11. People posting that they were driving instead of flying "to be safe".

 

[wdwstar]

Dont forget some people that fly in to mco also rent cars to drive into wdw. it was a very sad accident and it could have happened to anyone whether they drove in or flew in and rented a car.

we have seen several accidents whether we drove or flew and rented a car, but the accidents that we have seen also involved the rain that may have been part of the cause of the accidents.

 

[Esmerelda]

This is one of the many reasons I'm more fearful of driving to anywhere due to fatal auto accidents. I realize this family was almost AT Disney when this occurred. How very very sad for that whole family, especially the one that saw the whole thing right behind them. As you will notice from the article, the person that caused the accident was totally unharmed...grrrrrrrr. My prayers goes out to this family deeply....

Years ago, the last time I drove that far, we got in stopped traffic on I-75. After a long bout of finally moving, we were horrified when we finally approached the scene. It was a family/group of 4 or 5 people and 3 of them were laying in the median with sheets already on them. It was very shocking. There are so many people that drive with road rage (I used to be married to one!), or they do 20 over the speed limit endangering everyone else...or thier simply too tired to even be driving making their reflexes very poor.


never driving long distances,
Esmerelda

 

[Familyof14]

the person that caused the accident was totally unharmed...grrrrrrrr.

I may be wrong, but I believe that the lady killed in the accident was to blame. The other car was beginning to pass her when she pulled out in front of him.

drgnfly30 I do hope those children will be alright. Very sad indeed!

 

[manning]

It has been proved that driving tired is just as bad as being legally drunk. They even think the reflexes may be even more impaired.

 

[drgnfly30]

Familyof14 -
Thanks, we are all keeping our fingers crossed for the kids... The whole thing happened because the other driver (who was unharmed) apparently had a diabetic attack & crossed into their lane. Her 16 yo DS was driving (on his learners permit) he tried to swerve out of the way but due to timing or lack of experience didn't quite make it. So sad for everyone involved.
Christine

 

[canwegosoon]

After reading the article it seems that the driver in the left lane was being agressive, or the deceased woman didn't see how close she was when passing. This type of accident can happen anywhere. A similar accident happed to a friend's DH and Co-worker. A driver clipped them as he was weaving in and out of traffic. The DH/co worker's car was flipped 2x's. They both survived (wearing seat belts), and the driver who caused the accident, stopped to be sure no one was dead, and left the scene. This happened on 90 in MA.

You just have to be so careful when driving.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I hate to tell ya, but fatal traffic accidents are common here.
I have even seen the aftermath of a few on WDW property -- one right underneath a WDW gate.
I think locals (normally) drive fast. Tourists drive slow, make wrong turns, switch lanes, and sometimes just stop for no apparent reason on busy hughways. I see this daily.
The combination of the two can be deadly.
Of course ANY rain at all slows most locals to at least 20 miles below the speed limit. Some even park and wait. Once I saw a few splatters of rain hit my windshield and all the cars in front of me hit their brakes.

 

[Patty3]

How very sad, my thoughts and prayers go out to that poor family.

 

[seashoreCM]

Originally posted by drgnfly30
Familyof14 -
The whole thing happened because the other driver (who was unharmed) apparently had a diabetic attack & crossed into their lane. Her 16 yo DS was driving (on his learners permit) he tried to swerve out of the way but due to timing or lack of experience didn't quite make it.

So driver #1 in the right lane had a diabetic attack and drifted to the middle lane. Driver #2 (driving the deceased) swerved to the left lane. Driver #3 (in the SUV and supposedly aggressive) hit driver #2 who went across the median and was hit by driver #4 coming the other way in the Isuzu pickup. Meanwhile Driver #1 who was unharmed just kept on going.

Except the news article made no mention of Driver #1 and no mention of the diabetic atack. So all we have to go by is Driver #2 cutting off Driver #3.

Just my two cents worth but if the hit was straight in back, driver #3 should be at fault but if the hit was in the left back corner driver #2 should be at fault.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

Who remembers the cat food commercial where the cat on the right nudges the cat in the middle who in turn nudges the cat on the left?

 

[luvabargain]

Originally posted by seashoreCM
So driver #1 in the right lane had a diabetic attack and drifted to the middle lane. Driver #2 (driving the deceased) swerved to the left lane. Driver #3 (in the SUV and supposedly aggressive) hit driver #2 who went across the median and was hit by driver #4 coming the other way in the Isuzu pickup. Meanwhile Driver #1 who was unharmed just kept on going.

Except the news article made no mention of Driver #1 and no mention of the diabetic atack. So all we have to go by is Driver #2 cutting off Driver #3.

I believe the Diabetic Driver is the one who caused the accident of Drgnfly30's friend's sister, not the family on their way to WDW, two different accidents here.

 

[Familyof14]

You are confused and REALLY confused me.

I still think the article made it sound like the deseased driver (of the original post) was to blame in the accident. She pulled out into the left lane just as the driver behind her was starting to pass her. He clipped her car...simple and tragic.

 

[manning]

Kind of sounds like the SUV was in her blind spot and she failed to look over her left shoulder to clear the blind spot. I don't know if this the case, but I have noticed the dangerous trend of failing to clear the blind spots. Drivers pass and when they come back into the right lane they would look into their mirrors only if at all. Many many times I have been passed and almost hit by the passing vehicle when returning to my lane.

When I was learning to drive the cardinal rule was turn your head to check the blind spots and when you pass don't come over to the right until you see the passed vehicle in your inside rear view mirror. When you see it you are several car lengths ahead of the passed vehicle and are not cutting them off.

Also there is a way to set up your outside mirrors to eliminate the blind spots. It is not commonly known. What you do is set up the mirrors so when the car behind you is leaving the view of the inside rear view mirror it is entering the view of the side mirrors. This set up covers the blind spots. I still turn the head to be on the safe side. Matter of fact when the car is leaving the view of the side mirror a slight turn of the head will allow you to see the car.