Cape Coral deadly crash: Pine Island, Burnt Store intersection reopens

Reporter: Andryanna Sheppard
Published: Updated:

Cape Coral Police Department responded to a deadly crash involving four vehicles at the intersection with Burnt Store Road and SW Pine Island Road in Cape Coral on Tuesday. The crash caused a traffic nightmare for those who live on Pine Island and Matlacha. The intersection was closed until Wednesday morning.

At the scene, a smashed vehicle could be seen along with a dump truck tipped on its side, leaving a big mess.

CCPD confirms Armando Rodriguez-Rodriguez, 62, of Cape Coral, who was driving the dump truck was killed in the crash. The driver in a maroon 2017 Ford Fusion was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, and the passenger of the dump truck had minor injuries.

Phil Mullen, with the Cape Coral Police Department, said, “We have a large dump truck that did expel some fuel out on the road, so there’s that cleanup. It knocked out a traffic control box to the light so even once the crash is cleaned up we have to get that traffic light fixed.”

Credit: Cape Coral Police Department.

The Ford was traveling northbound on Veterans Memorial Parkway toward the intersection with Pine Island Rd., where Veterans becomes Burnt Store Rd. through the intersection. The Ford moved to go left onto Pine Island Road in the path of the dump truck when it was traveling southbound on Burnt Store through the intersection.

The dump truck swerved to avoid collision, but the front of the truck hit the right side of the back of the Ford. The dump truck tipped and hit the traffic signal box, and the roof of the truck hit the light pole. Police says this contributed to the injuries that killed Rodriguez.

The Ford rotated and hit a red 2014 Chevrolet Silverado that was stopped in the eastbound lane of Pine Island Rd. The Ford kept sliding south toward the outside turn lane on Pine Island Rd. at the intersection and slid sideways into a white 2018 Honda Odyssey and came to a final stop.

According to the report, multiple witnesses remained on scene and said the traffic light for southbound traffic that the dump truck was in was solid green before the Ford crossed into the path of it.

No one in the Honda or the Chevy was hurt in the crash, and Rodriguez’s next-of-kin has been notified.

Anyone who saw the crash can contact Cape Coral Police Department at (239) 574-3223. You can also submit an anonymous tip at www.capecops.com/tips.

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