St. Petersburg Times Online: Business

Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies

Deaths from Hurricane Charley

Associated Press
Published August 16, 2004

State officials confirmed 16 people died in Florida because of Hurricane Charley but didn't release names or identities. Local officials detailed many of the deaths and confirmed a 17th.

POLK COUNTY

Five deaths

* Jerry David Padgett, 61, of Lake Wales died after his truck drove into a washedout section of a road and flipped, sending the vehicle about 25 feet down an embankment, said Polk County sheriff's spokeswoman Michal Shanley. The truck was found partially submerged in water early Saturday.

* Two men were found dead in a home, apparently of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. In a utility room, authorities found a generator that was left on too long and had run out of gas. Autopsies were scheduled for today.

* Anthony Turk, 66, of Haines City, died of a heart attack Friday night during the storm, Shanley said.

* Jerry Kane, 61, died of congestive heart failure Friday night in Lake Wales at his home.

CHARLOTTE COUNTY

Four deaths

* Gordon and Joanne Hawkins, both 82 and of Punta Gorda, died when they were thrown 150 feet as the hurricane struck their mobile home.

* State officials confirmed two other deaths in Charlotte County, but details were unavailable.

ORANGE COUNTY

Two deaths

* An 8-year-old girl died in a car accident when a wind gust caused a moving van to lose control, roll over and crash on top of a car driving the opposite direction on the Beeline Expressway, 20 miles east of Orlando, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kim Miller said.

* Jorge Hernandez, 48, of Orlando, died in a car accident Friday night at an intersection in Orlando, where traffic lights had lost power, Miller said.

OSCEOLA COUNTY

One death

* Jose Cruz, 33, of St. Cloud, died early Sunday morning in Kissimmee when his car sped into two fallen trees in the road, Miller said.

VOLUSIA COUNTY

Two deaths

* A woman in Daytona Beach died of apparent electrocution, police said. Her body was found early Saturday lying near a power pole, and her foot was touching a downed power line.

* A man died while trimming a tree in Edgewater, Volusia County officials reported.

LEE COUNTY

One death

* Danny Williams, 25, of North Fort Myers, stepped outside his house to smoke a cigarette and died when a banyan tree fell on him in Fort Myers, county officials said.

SARASOTA COUNTY

One death

* Karen Ryan, 56, of Nokomis, died in a car accident when she lost control of her car driving south on Interstate 75 in Venice, FHP said.

DE SOTO COUNTY

One death

* A man was killed when he was hit by flying debris, said County Commissioner Ronald Neads.

© Copyright, St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.