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Truck hits office, killing woman, 79
By TAMARA LUSH, Times Staff Writer
The 79-year-old real estate agent was doing "floor duty," answering phone calls from prospective buyers. The person who was scheduled to work was out of town. From her desk near the door of Bob Hatton Prudential Realty, Talty could see busy West Shore Boulevard and its cross-street, Euclid Avenue. It is unclear, however, whether Talty saw the red Ford F-150 pickup truck as it barreled down West Shore. The truck left the southbound lane, veered onto the sidewalk and struck an unoccupied van, then careened across Euclid Avenue and into the real estate office. The pickup hit Talty, killing her instantly. The driver, 31-year-old Emilio Santacruz, escaped with minor injuries and was taken to Tampa General Hospital. "Had I been here, he would have hit my van, which would have probably stopped him," said company owner Bob Hatton, who was at lunch when the crash happened. "That van may have stopped it. Hindsight is great, isn't it?" Four employees were in the office when the crash occurred about 11:14 a.m. One was agent Jack Beloate, Talty's 71-year-old companion and co-worker. He saw the truck as it bore down on the office. Beloate's desk was next to Talty's. "(Beloate) grabbed her and tried to pull her out of the way," Hatton said. "Jack couldn't do it." Beloate suffered minor injuries and was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital.
Most of the front entrance was destroyed. A copier stood mangled amid a knee-high pile of bricks, paper and glass. Spokesman Joe Durkin said Tampa police are trying to determine what caused the crash. According to public records, Santacruz was found guilty of driving 63 mph in a 35 mph zone in 2000 in Hillsborough County. In 2001, he was found guilty of crossing private property to avoid a traffic light. Santacruz, of 5802 Tampa Shores Blvd., has a valid driver's license. Durkin said Santacruz mentioned that he might have suffered a medical problem before the crash; people watching the aftermath said Santacruz might have had a seizure. "Anything is possible right now," Durkin said. Talty had worked in Hatton's office for more than 10 years and had been a real estate agent for 27 years. She was well-known around Tampa as a conscientious real estate agent who had many referrals and repeat clients. "She sold a lot of homes to a lot of people," Hatton said. Talty has a grown daughter who is a flight attendant, he said. The two returned from a vacation in Alaska a few weeks ago. She and Beloate lived together in South Tampa, Hatton said. Talty loved being a real estate agent, he said. "She could have retired years ago," Hatton said, "but she didn't want to." -- Times researcher John Martin contributed to this report.
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