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Woman charged in hit-and-run collision

Her car rear-ended another, flipping it and trapping four people inside. The wreck shut down traffic in both directions on a section of U.S. 19.

By RICHARD DANIELSON
Published April 29, 2005

TARPON SPRINGS - A New Port Richey woman was in jail Thursday, charged with leaving the scene of an accident in which her car rear-ended another, flipping it and trapping four people inside.

Three occupants of the second car were treated and released from the hospital. A fourth passenger, an 11-year-old Palm Harbor boy, remained hospitalized Thursday, and the boy's dog was missing after running away from the overturned car.

Jade M. Thompson, 21, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with serious injuries and driving with a suspended license after the wreck near Klosterman Road late Wednesday afternoon.

Thompson went to a nearby sports bar after the accident, which took place just before 6 p.m., Tarpon Springs police said. Police found her in front of the establishment, where a bartender said Thompson offered several accounts of what happened.

"I saw a girl standing there all hysterical," said Kathy Aime, who works at Gino's Sports Bar. "The girl said, "Someone just stole my car. Somebody help me.' I turned to my boss and asked, "Should we call the police?' "

Thompson was wearing pajamas and mismatched slippers, Aime said.

"When I asked her for more information, she was hesitant at first, and so I called 911 and I talked to the Tarpon Springs police," Aime said.

The green 1992 Lincoln Town Car Thompson was driving struck the rear of a maroon Kia Sportage carrying four people, police said. The impact caused the Kia to flip, trapping two adults and two children inside. The Kia and the Lincoln also struck two other vehicles, causing minor damage and injuries, police said.

Rescuers landed three helicopters on U.S. 19 to take the Kia's passengers to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg. Traffic in both directions of U.S. 19 was stopped temporarily, and all lanes did not reopen to normal traffic until 9:30 p.m.

The Kia's driver, 42-year-old Laurence Gambino of Tarpon Springs, his wife, Caryn Gambino, 42, and the couple's daughter, Danielle, 7, were treated and released from Bayfront Medical Center. The Gambinos' nephew, 11-year-old John C. Kelly of Palm Harbor, was transferred to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, where he was in stable condition, police said. John, a sixth-grader at Carwise Middle School in Palm Harbor, suffered a serious leg injury, Caryn Gambino said.

All four apparently were wearing seat belts, police said.

Thompson, of 4150 Celestial Drive, was treated and released from Bayfront Medical Center and booked into the Pinellas County Jail. She was being held there Thursday afternoon with bail set at $10,500.

Thompson appeared to be under the influence of prescription medications, police said in arrest reports. She had bloodshot eyes, was slow to respond to questions, exhibited poor balance and had thick-tongued speech.

Police said they suspect that impaired driving played a role in the accident. Investigators are waiting on toxicology test results of blood drawn from Thompson.

Meanwhile, a search was under way for a fifth passenger in the Kia, a family dog named Sammy. The dog is a 10- to 12-pound 5-year-old Jack Russell terrier and Chihuahua mix with white fur and brownish black spots. Sammy belongs to John Kelly and was seen running from the overturned vehicle toward the Holiday Inn on U.S. 19.

Vicki Wells and Jesse Hill are students of John's mother, Donna Kelly, at Sunstate Academy of Hair Design in Clearwater. Hill said he heard from Donna Kelly on Thursday morning asking him to try to find the dog.

Police ask anyone with information on the dog to call them at (727) 938-2849, and Wells said people also can call her at (727) 251-5727. She hopes Sammy is found and returned by the time John is discharged from the hospital.

"With him being hurt, that's one less thing he would have to worry about," Wells said.

Palm Harbor Fire Rescue officials also would like to hear from three bystanders who pried open one of the Kia's doors, removed the Gambino family from the car and helped stabilize the vehicle until fire rescue had enough personnel on the scene to take over. The three men, who were wearing construction clothes, did not stick around or give their names, said Palm Harbor Fire Rescue district Chief Dan Zinge.

Even after the first units arrived, one of the men helped keep the car from teetering and further injuring John Kelly, who was pinned inside with one leg sticking out the window and under the vehicle.

"I don't know where they came from," said Zinge, who said the men could call the department at (727) 784-0454. "We'd like to find out who they were so we can acknowledge their assistance, because they did a good job."

Times photographer Kinfay Moroti contributed to this report.

[Last modified April 29, 2005, 00:34:18]