(NewsReady.com) – A parent’s worst nightmare is that something will happen to one of their children. When kids begin to drive, those fears are compounded because a tiny mistake can have horrific consequences. Five families in Florida are mourning for that very reason.
On June 25, four friends were working at Texas Roadhouse in Fort Myers. A couple finished early but returned later to pick up the others. There was also a friend with them that did not work at the restaurant. Fort Myers Police Department spokeswoman Kristen Capuzzi told reporters that sometime after 10:30 p.m., the Kia the teens were in crashed into a retention pond on Top Golf Way, a road that runs parallel to Interstate 75.
The driver reportedly lost control of the car, and the vehicle ended up submerged in the water. None of the teens were able to get out of the car, and all five of them passed away. When the vehicle was later recovered, they were declared dead at the scene. Investigators have said they believe speed was a factor in the crash.
Fort Myers Police identified the victims as 18-year-old Breanna Coleman, 19-year-old Eric Paul, 18-year-old Amanda Ferguson, 18-year-old Jackson Eyre, and 18-year-old Jesus Salinas.
On June 26, the Texas Roadhouse, where four of the victims worked, closed to the public. The restaurant instead hosted a dinner for the friends and family of the five teens who died. Travis Doster, the company’s senior director of public relations at the corporate headquarters, released a statement saying they were “deeply saddened by the tragic loss of four of [their] Roadies.”
The teens’ deaths are a stark reminder of how dangerous driving can be.
Witnesses who may have seen something are asked to call 239-321-7700 to speak to the police department or 800-780-8477 to talk to Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers.
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