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Couple die going to friend's funeral

The man and wife, who escaped Cuba in 1966, were killed when their car collided with a public transit bus.

By MARCUS FRANKLIN and LAUREN BAYNE ANDERSON
Published February 12, 2005

	[Special to the Times]
	Julia and Luis Martin were married 47 years. The couple sponsored relatives in Cuba to come to the United States.

ST. PETERSBURG - After breakfast Friday morning, Luis Martin and his wife Julia headed out to pay their last respects to a long-time friend who had died. Afterward, the couple of 47 years planned to have lunch together.

But the Martins never made it to the funeral.

On the way, while traveling south on 49th Street N in their 1997 Toyota, the Pinellas Park couple tried to turn east onto 38th Avenue N. A Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority bus heading north on 49th Street struck the Toyota, pushing it nearly 300 feet to 39th Avenue N.

Sebastian Dolecki, an employee at Action Lube, was getting ready to do a lube job when he heard a "bang" and screeching tires.

"I look out and I saw the bus dragging the car on the front of it," he said. "I saw the bus lady pushing the brakes down as far as she could."

The Martins - Luis, 83, and Julia, 71 - died "instantly" at the scene, police said.

Natalie Maxwell, a seven-year PSTA employee, was driving the No. 52 bus bound for downtown Clearwater from Williams Park in St. Petersburg. Mike Jockers, a St. Petersburg police traffic investigator, thinks Maxwell's foot might have slipped off the brake pedal after the impact.

"The car never stopped," Jockers said. Three bus passengers were treated at the hospital for minor injuries, he said.

Police cleared Maxwell of any blame after reviewing the bus' five surveillance cameras, including one on the outside, according to Janet Recca, a PSTA spokeswoman.

Maxwell couldn't be reached for comment Friday.

The Martins came to the United States from their native Cuba in 1966, said their daughter, Maria Robinson, 46. Luis was a retired Florida Power engineer and Julia was a homemaker who cared for her two daughters.

"They wanted a better life for their daughters," Maria Robinson said.

"They wanted to get away from communism," her husband, Michael Robinson, added.

The couple sponsored relatives in Cuba to come to the United States, the Robinsons said.

The Martins lived with their daughter, son-in-law and two teenage grandchildren.

Luis Martin regularly picked up his 13-year-old granddaughter from school rather than have her catch the bus or stay after school.

"He really enjoyed his grandchildren quite a bit," said Michael Robinson. "He was an excellent driver even though he was 84."

The Martins are survived by another daughter, Marisela Underwood of Orlando, and two more grandchildren.

[Last modified February 12, 2005, 00:24:15]