State to study Lamborghini crash crossing
Over 30 accidents at Delray intersection since June 2011
A Lamborghini crash that killed an SUV driver Wednesday has sparked a public outcry over the lack of a light at the Delray Beach intersection where the wreck happened.
And less than 48 hours after the collision along Federal Highway, the city of Delray Beach says it’s urging the Florida Department of Transportation to evaluate the intersection. “We’re going to nudge FDOT to make it a priority,” said John Morgan, direc--
tor of the city’s environmental services department, which oversees traffic efforts.
Chuck McGinness, a spokesman for the state transportation department, confirmed Friday that the agency will conduct a study at Federal Highway and Northeast First Street.
J. Gerald Smith, an 82-year-old Uber driver from Boynton Beach, was heading west on First Street to cross Federal Highway, when the yellow Lamborghini crashed into Smith’s Buick Enclave, killing him, police said.
Police say the Lamborghini driver — Roger Wittenberns, 60, the multimillionaire founder of the Lady of America fitness club chain— toldthemheandhis girlfriend had spent the afternoon eating and drinking in the downtown area. And witnesses told police theLamborghiniwas speeding before the crash.
Police continue to investigate, and speed and alcohol are both being considered as factors, said Delray Beach Police spokeswoman Dani Moschella.
Nearby residents say the intersection, located just one block north of Atlantic Avenue, a main thoroughfare in downtown Delray, is known for speeding, wrongway driving and crashes.
More than 30 accidents have happened at the intersection since June 2011, according to figures released Friday by Delray Beach police. The Florida Department of Transportation, which owns and manages Federal Highway, says it will collect and review all crashes at the intersection, includingWednesday’s fatal crash.
Helping the injured
Wednesday’s crash happened just outside Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, at 115 NESixthAve. The pizzeria’s general manager was in his office when someone told him about the crash outside. Pedro Andrade ran out to see mangled vehicles in the road, he recalled Friday.
An employee spoke on the phone with a 911 dispatcher as other employees helped the two injured men out of their vehicles. The employees grabbed cushions from the lounge of a restaurant and placed Smith onto them, he said.
“A couple of guests were in the medicalfield, andthey started to provide CPR,” Andrade said. “The other gentleman in the Lamborghini, we had some other people taking care of him.”
The employees did what they could until paramedics arrived and rushed Smith to the hospital, he said.
Andrade said he thinks police were at the scene for about seven hours. That’s why his employees brought out beverages, chicken wings, salads and pizza for the officers.
“We’ve been in Delray for a long time, and we know most of the police officers,” he said. “We’re very wellinvolved in the community, and we know the needs. There was nothing else we could do other than make sure that they’re comfortable.”
Detectives are relying on footage from two surveillance cameras at the restaurant to help piece together what happened, Andrade said.
Andrade met Smith’s family members Friday afternoon when they stopped by the crash scene to leave a bouquet of roses with a card, he said. He said he is confident the city will make any changes necessary to prevent crashes.
City stepping in
Delray Beach’s transportation professional, XavierFalcone, is reaching out to the state agency to request a study, Morgan said. “Safety is paramount, so if we have to make adjustments to roadways, we will work with FDOT to make it happen,” Morgan said.
“It’s hard to say” how long a study would take, Morgan said. “They’re a state agency, so as you can imagine, they have a lot going on.”
Typically when conducting what are called “warrant studies,” traffic engineers collect data using what look like rubber tubes on the road.
The tubes track the number of cars passing by and how fast they’re traveling. Engineers also observe the intersection in person and analyze accident reports filed by the police department, Morgan said.
The city’s focus extends beyond that one intersection, Morgan said. “The city has made a commitment and decision to slow down traffic coming through downtown Delray,” he said.
Within the last year, Federal Highway has gone from six to four lanes as part of a project to slow down traffic and beautify the road. Drivers have complained to the city that the changes, including increased landscaping and new parking spots, have made it more difficult to see cars, pedestrians and bicyclists approaching on the road.
“For years, the road was wider, the speed was higher,” Morgan said. “It’s been an adjustment for the public to get used to thenew Federal Highway, with fewer lanes, more landscaping— it’s different.
“We do hear a lot of concerns about visibility,” he said. “We get complaints about the speed limits being too low, butwe also get complaints that people are speeding and what can we do to slowthem down.”
Delray BeachMayor Cary Glickstein said the lane-reduction improvements alongFederal Highway are a vast improvement over what the city had, as both pedestrian and vehicular accidents have been reduced from when it was a six-lane highway.
However, he said the design phasewasn’t a model of collaboration among state engineers, city engineers and the Delray Police Department.
“The end result is the combination of pedestrian barriers, landscaped islands, and in some areas, parallel parking which have created
some visibility issues that our engineering staff and police department are now revisiting,” he said.
Glickstein called Wednesday’s wreck an “avoidable tragedy” caused by drinking and speeding. He said that combination can be lethal on even the best-designed road.
Smith, born in England, studied engineering, was a mechanic in the Royal Air Force and for most of his career was an automotive engineer, his family said. Working as an Uber and limousine driver, he enjoyed meeting people. On Friday, the legal firm hired by
Smith’s family released a statement thanking the community.
“The family very much appreciates the expressions of support and condolence, but requests privacy while they grieve the tragic and devastating loss ofGerald,” it said.