Woman killed in Lehigh Acres crash faces social media backlash

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. The grieving friends and family of a 47-year-old woman killed in a crash Monday night are now being forced to defend her life online.

Nicole Jones, 47, of Lehigh Acres, was driving south on Bell Boulevard North near Shadow Lakes Drive around 11:42 p.m. when she veered off the road and hit a tree, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The 2010 Chrysler Sebring Jones was driving overturned, and she was thrown from the car, according troopers.

Jones was pronounced dead at Lee Memorial Hospital.

The backlash came when troopers revealed Jones was not wearing a seat belt and that the crash may be alcohol-related.

“The comments were awful, horrible, disrespectful, hateful, inhuman…” said Stacey Busbee, Jones’ best friend.

It’s unclear how much alcohol was in Jones’ system during the time of the crash.

“Regardless of what it was for, we’ll never get her back and we all have to say goodbye way too soon,” Busbee said.

The crash is still being investigated.