FHP: Dad killed in car crash
Cody Garrick was the mushy one of the family, always telling everyone he loved them. “There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for the people he loved,” his aunt Tracy Kennedy said.
At 23, the single father had just bought a car and started a new job with Domino’s Pizza. He had plans to save up for a house to share with his 2-year-old daughter and was excited for their future.
But it was all cut short early Sunday morning when Garrick was hit while driving home from his first day on the job. And authorities say the woman who hit him shouldn’t have been on the roads.
Orange County deputies first spotted 27-year-old Syndia Saint Cyr about 1:30 a.m. speeding down Presidents Drive toward Sand Lake Road, an arrest report states. A deputy working a traffic enforcement in the area said Saint Cyr’s 2013 Nissan Pathfinder was traveling at least 20 mph over the speed limit, so he activated his emergency lights and attempted to stop her, the re- port states. Saint Cyr — who authorities said is a habitual traffic offender and has a revoked license — kept driving, though, turning onto northbound John Young Parkway and accelerating near the intersection of Oak Ridge Road. The deputy followed until he said it appeared she was fleeing and attempting to elude him, the report states. He then slowed and moved to the center median, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Saint Cyr continued toward the intersection of Americana Boulevard at what the deputy “estimated to be 100 mph,” the arrest report states. He then “observed a smoke cloud at the intersection and heard what sounded like an explosion.” Florida Highway Patrol troopers said Saint Cyr ran a red light at the intersection and collided with the passenger side of Garrick’s car. He was belted in to the driver’s seat and declared dead at the scene, troopers said. Emergency crews took Saint Cyr to a local hospital with minor injuries. She was later booked into the Orange County Jail. She appeared Monday morning before a judge, who ordered she stay in jail. Saint Cyr was out on bond from a November arrest on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement and driving with a revoked license. That case is still pending. Since 2005, Saint Cyr has been cited for 20 driving violations ranging from unlawful speed to a seat belt violation, records show. Her drivers license was revoked in August when she was deemed a “habitual traffic offender.”
Garrick’s family said they were devastated by the crash and by knowing that his daughter will be celebrating her birthday later this month without him to give hugs and kisses like he loved to do. “She is an angel — and smart as a whip,” Kennedy, his aunt, said. “She is going to miss him terribly.”