One Killed, 18 Injured in Florida Turnpike Crash
One person was killed and at least 18 others were injured Saturday when a driver lost control of a van on Florida's Turnpike after a tire separated, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The accident happened about 7:10 p.m. on the northbound side near Mile Marker 204 in rural Kenansville in south Osceola County.
The van rolled several times and a 46-year-old woman from North Miami was ejected, said Sgt. Kim Montes, a Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
Preliminary information showed there were 19 or 20 people in the van, Montes said. All except the dead woman were taken to six hospitals, five by medical helicopter and the rest by ambulance.
The only person whose identity was released late Saturday was the driver, Willem Camille, 42. The Miami man received serious injuries, troopers said.
All lanes of traffic remained closed for nearly five hours, as did the on ramp at Exit 193, State Road 60. As of 12:15 a.m. Sunday, only the right northbound lane of the turnpike remained closed.
The van belonged to GSC Community Involvement Inc., according to the Florida Highway Patrol. It's a nonprofit youth-development group based in Miami, documents show.
Daphney Raphael of Miami said those on the van were with her church group on a mission trip to Orlando. The group's headquarters is in Haiti, another member said.
Copyright 2013 - Orlando Sentinel
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
