Driver speeds monitored by radar gun after 11 kids injured in crash

Reporter: Emma Heaton Writer: Rachel Murphy
Published: Updated:

Eleven children and one adult were rushed to the hospital after their van overturned during a rollover crash.

The crash occurred along Joel Boulevard and East 14th Street in Lehigh Acres, Thursday afternoon. The driver of the car remains in critical condition, Friday.

“It’s not surprising, just because of the speeds that people drive out here. It seems like they’re racing half the time,” said Jon Witanen, a resident in Lehigh Acres.

Witanen said he drives along Joel Boulevard regularly and speed is rarely monitored. According to him, drivers are constantly racing at high speeds with no regard for people’s safety.

WINK News monitored how fast people drove on Joel Boulevard with a radar gun. The speed limit is 45 miles an hour. Many drivers were over, ranging from 61 to 83 miles an hour.

WINK News asked Witanen what will happen if no precautions are taken.

Witanen said, “More fatalities, for sure. Not to mention the property damage. So it’s, you hate to see somebody, anybody die by an accident, especially if it’s an avoidable one.”

Crash investigators have not yet said why the van and car crashed into each other.

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