Police: U-turn triggered wreck

A woman cut across the path of a car next to her, police say. After six cars collided, one person was dead, seven hurt.

By ERIC STIRGUS

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 18, 2000

CLEARWATER -- The drivers of a Pontiac Sunbird and a Nissan Maxima were headed in opposite directions, but a split-second decision would tragically bring their worlds together.

At 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Brianne Havlik was headed north in the right lane on U.S. 19 near Enterprise Road in the Sunbird when, police say, she decided to turn south. The Maxima, driven by Joyce Wright, was headed south.

Apparently Havlik, 20, did not see the Ford Windstar minivan headed north in the center lane. The two cars collided, causing a six-car wreck that killed a 94-year-old woman who was riding in the passenger's seat of the Maxima.

On Friday, police identified the victim as Francis Davis, whose last listed address was 12001 S Belcher Road in Pinellas Park.

No charges have been filed, but police have not completed their investigation.

Police shut down traffic on U.S. 19 in the area around Enterprise Road for about 41/2 hours Thursday night and Friday morning. Seven people were injured.

April Widman, 18, an employee at Chili's restaurant on U.S. 19, saw the emergency vehicles and went to see what happened.

"It looked like one (car) rear-ended the other and it rear-ended another and it rear-ended another and it rear-ended another. . . . It was bad."

After the initial collision, police said, both cars went into the southbound lanes. The force of the collision caused the minivan, driven by John Munroe, 71, to hit the Maxima. A Ford pickup truck driven by Wesley Hamilton, 70, ran into the rear of the Nissan.

Wright, 53, also of 12001 S Belcher Road, was taken to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, where she was treated and released. Wright could not be reached for comment Friday. Davis died at the scene, police said.

Havlik's car hit a Honda Accord that was in the southbound median lane, police said.

Havlik, of 384 Carriage House Lane in Palm Harbor, was taken to Mease Countryside Hospital, where she was treated and released. Havlik's father referred questions to their attorney, Michael Howard, who declined to comment Friday. Havlik's family moved to Florida from New York last June, and she has no record of accidents since coming to Florida.

A Jeep Cherokee in the southbound median lane rear-ended the Accord, police say.

Like Widman, Forbidden City restaurant manager Karin Wei heard the commotion and came outside. Wei, who has worked at the restaurant since 1985, said the wreck was the worst she has seen on U.S. 19.

-- Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this story.

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