Victim remembered as upbeat, happy

Robert Baughman was hit by a teen motorist while riding a scooter.

By ABBIE VANSICKLE and RODNEY THRASH, Times Staff Writer
Published September 28, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT "Nobody ever thought anything bad of him," said John Smith, who has known Robert J. Baughman for 30 years. Robert Baughman was hit by a teen motorist while riding a scooter. [Times photo: XXXX]

TAMPA - His co-workers and friends remember him as a man who saw only the good in others.

Robert J. Baughman, 49, was on his way to a friend's house after work Wednesday when, deputies say, 16-year-old John Holland Jr. swerved into Baughman's lane, knocking him from his scooter and killing him.

On Thursday, those who loved him say his loss will be painful.

"This guy was probably the most upbeat, happy person you'd ever meet," said Debbie Howe, a co-worker at Affordable Catering.

The day after the crash, the families of Holland and his 16-year-old passenger, Trevor Ekovich, declined interview requests.

A woman who identified herself as Ekovich's grandmother said the teen's parents were out of town, but everyone was doing all right. No charges have been filed.

Deputies say Holland, who had a valid driver's license, was headed north on Countryway Boulevard near Woodbay Drive at 3:17 p.m. Baughman was southbound.

Holland lost control and veered into Baughman's lane, hitting him, deputies say. Then, as Baughman flew off the crushed scooter, Holland's Nissan went into a pond.

The teens were not injured. Baughman died at the scene.

John Smith, 53, said Thursday he couldn't believe Baughman, a lifelong Tampa Bay resident, was gone."Nobody ever thought anything bad of him," said Smith, who has known him for 30 years.

Baughman had lived at Smith's Westchase home until recently, when he left to house-sit for a woman in Ybor City, Smith said.

His catering job took much of Baughman's time, and he spent his off hours cheering on the Bucs and the Devil Rays and playing pingpong. "He was just a good ol' local boy," Smith said.

Baughman was single and had no children, Smith said. He is survived by several brothers and sisters in the Clearwater area.

Funeral services have not yet been scheduled, Smith said.

At Alonso High School, students grappled with the news.

"It was shocking," said senior Joseph Seymour, 17, who saw the crash site from a bus window, with Baughman on the pavement, covered with a blanket. "I saw broken pieces of the cars all over the street," he said.

[Last modified September 27, 2007, 23:47:58]