Pushing for answers on safety improvements for State Road 82

Reporter: Emma Heaton
Published: Updated:
SR 82 crash memorial for Jasmine. CREDIT: WINK News
SR 82 crash memorial for Jasmine. CREDIT: WINK News

After another deadly crash on State Road 82 over the weekend, families who have lost loved ones are wondering why safety improvements are taking so long.

FDOT told WINK News earlier this month, it plans to implement improvements such as adding a traffic signal to the intersection at Sunshine Boulevard and prohibiting left turns from side streets onto SR 82.

Drivers would instead turn right and make U-turns at adjacent intersections.

Another deadly crash

The words “Forever 18,” “Forever my baby,” and “Justice for Jazzy” wrap around 18-year-old Jasmine Lamar’s memorial near Sunshine Boulevard on State Road 82.

Jasmine’s family said she was among the two people killed in the horrific crash Saturday night.

Fresh tire tracks leading into a ditch are still visible at the deadly scene.

The tracks at the crash site on State Road 82. CREDIT: WINK News

“We were out there yesterday to pay our respects, me and my wife and two of my little cousins,” said Joshua Negron, Jasmine’s cousin. “The speeding on that road is ridiculous. Last year, the light pole next to her was hit by a kid from graduation who died on a motorcycle.”

Just steps away from Jasmine’s memorial, more flowers and balloons mark the spot where 18-year-old Dustin Gulsby was struck by a car while riding his motorcycle in 2023.

Dustin’s memorial at State Road 82. CREDIT: WINK News.

“They were classmates,” said Negron, “and you know, nothing gets done about it.”

Deadly crashes not uncommon on SR 82

Recently, WINK News spoke with a woman who lost her husband in a fiery crash on the road in 2010.

During a ride-along with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office’s traffic unit, a sergeant mentioned he responds to one or two deadly crashes a month on this road.

The pressing question remains: can FDOT step in and implement any safety measures before another deadly crash occurs?

FDOT’s plans

The Florida Department of Transportation told WINK News a few weeks back that work will begin this summer to make SR 82 safer.

Grieving families are left wondering why these changes are taking so long.

WINK News asked FDOT if it could step in before another deadly crash occurred and asked questions about the timeline for safety changes, but FDOT did not answer those questions.

Negron believes law enforcement cracking down on speeders on SR 82 would also make it safer.

After the death of his cousin, he and his family are looking to FDOT and law enforcement for action.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.