A woman who survived
an Osceola County accident is missing two puppies who were with her.
A woman who survived a fatal accident is missing two puppies who were in the SUV with her at the time of the crash, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Maritsa Melendez, 55, of Danielson, Conn., was a passenger in a car involved in a four-vehicle crash Sunday in Osceola County.
Melendez had two Shih-poo puppies — Mojo, a chocolate male, and Portia, a brown-and-white female — with her in the vehicle.
Her sister, Iraida Santana, 42, of Riviera Beach, was driving west on State Road 60 near Yeehaw Junction when she went onto the shoulder of the road, according to the FHP. She overcorrected and crossed into the eastbound lanes, troopers said.
The SUV collided head-on with another car. Two other vehicles also were involved in the crash. Melendez’s father, 69-year-old Manuel Santana Rodriguez, was killed.
Maritsa Melendez was injured. Her memory’s a little hazy, but she remembers Mojo and Portia being in her lap when she was taken to the hospital, according to her boyfriend, Chris Walsh.
A woman who was helping told her she would take care of her puppies until she got out of the hospital. But Melendez has not heard from the woman and doesn’t know her name.
“The woman said, ‘I will be in touch,’ ” Walsh said. “That was the end of it.”
The dogs were a gift for Melendez’s retirement two months ago, Walsh said. “They mean the world to her,” he said.
Troopers said there were no puppies at the scene when they arrived. They hope the woman will contact them.
“Maritsa lost her father in this crash and really misses her puppies,” FHP Sgt. Kim Montes said. Anyone with information can call FHP at 407-737-2300.