One dead in accident between unlicensed drivers

By ELISABETH DYER, Times Staff Writer
Published February 8, 2008

BRANDON - Neither of them should have been driving, according to state records.

A two-car collision killed an 18-year-old woman at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday night at W Lumsden Road and Heather Lakes Boulevard and sent a man to Tampa General Hospital.

Both drivers had suspended licenses, according to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Monica De Marco was northbound on Heather Lakes Boulevard in a 1999 Toyota Corolla. As she attempted to turn left onto Lumsden Road, an eastbound 1994 Ford Explorer struck the driver's side of her car. She died at the scene. She was less than half a mile from her home at 1017 Lockmont Drive.

Fault has not been determined, according to Hillsborough sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.

De Marco got her learner's license in 2006 in Hillsborough County. Her learner's license was suspended April 30, 2007, for not attending school, state records show.

Eric M. Crossen, 36, was driving the Explorer. The state suspended his license Jan. 6 because he had no insurance, according to state records.

He had previously lost his license four times, once for lack of insurance and three times for delinquent support payments. His past record includes charges of unlawful speed and careless driving.

Crossen of 2635 Edgewater Falls Drive in Brandon was treated at Tampa General and released Thursday.

[Last modified February 8, 2008, 01:27:10]