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Slick roads, high speeds, bad day
By RYAN DAVIS
© St. Petersburg Times, LAND O'LAKES -- A Land O'Lakes High School student, speeding on U.S. 41 alongside two of his friends' cars, swerved three times, hit the median and launched into oncoming traffic, where he slammed head-on into a classmate's sport utility vehicle. In all, five people, including four Pasco County high school students, were injured in the afternoon crash. It sounded like an explosion and snarled traffic across south central Pasco County for two hours. More than 60 people lined the sides of U.S. 41 at the scene, about a mile and a half north of State Road 54. Some cried. Some hugged. All watched intently as rescuers cut and pried the teenagers from their vehicles. It took almost an hour for rescue workers to free Mike Otterson, a Land O'Lakes High School football player and the speeding driver of the Honda Civic. Otterson, who had spent the day at the house of teammate T.J. Cook, told his friends he was hungry. He had a craving for cheeseburgers. So he and his three friends headed south in three separate cars. Witnesses said they were going 70 mph -- 20 more than the speed limit. Otterson's friends said a car pulled out from the RaceTrac gas station in front of him. Otterson swerved left, right and finally left, his friends said. He skidded for 230 feet before going airborne. "I know he was speeding," said Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Eric Hellstrom. Heather Mintzer, who will be a junior at Land O'Lakes and a basketball and softball player, was headed north on U.S. 41 taking home her friend, 16-year-old Angela Medvid of Land O'Lakes. Lyssa Stiles, 15, a Land O'Lakes High student and her 10-year-old brother, Jake, were along for the ride. Mintzer's and Otterson's vehicles slammed into each other about 4:15 p.m. Otterson's airborne car landed just before they hit. Mintzer's Jeep flipped onto its top. Fifteen feet away Otterson's car spun to a stop, facing the direction opposite the one he was driving. "I just stopped and ran over there, and he was just screaming," said Cook, who was driving behind Otterson. "He was just screaming and crying." "I looked back and saw this big explosion, not like fire but debris" said Travis L'hommedieu, a 2001 Land O'Lakes High graduate who was driving beside Otterson. "It was just crazy." L'hommedieu said he, Otterson and Cook were going about 60 mph. The accident was triggered by a pick-up truck that started to pull out in front of Otterson. FHP had doubts about that account. "We don't know if that's actually what happened," Hellstrom said. It's more likely, the trooper added, that Otterson was speeding and overreacted. The accident remains under investigation. All five students were taken -- three by helicopter -- to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa. Mintzer and Otterson were in fair condition Wednesday night at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa. Hospital officials said the three other victims would be treated and probably released later Wednesday night.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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