Naples, FL : North Naples crash kills woman, injures valet at resort on Wednesday January 25th 2017

A woman celebrating her 80th birthday was killed after being struck by a car Wednesday night while a valet was helping her into her car at the Vanderbilt Beach Resort in North Naples.

Carol Ryan, of St. Charles, Illinois, died at NCH North Naples Hospital. The valet, William Espinosa, 32, of Naples, was taken to the same hospital, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report. By Thursday, Espinosa had returned home, according to one of his managers.

"Poor thing. On her birthday," said Vanderbilt Beach Resort Assistant General Manager Chris Kentrus. "It was her 80th birthday."

According to police, the two-vehicle crash occurred at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Vanderbilt Beach Resort, which houses the landmark restaurant The Turtle Club, at 9225 Gulf Shore Drive N.

John Rodd Glancy, 66, of North Naples, was driving a 2015 BMW sedan. He and his three passengers were stopped in the valet lane behind a Buick driven by Norman Racine, 82, of St. Charles, Illinois

While Espinosa was helping Ryan into the front seat of the Buick, the BMW traveled forward and struck the rear of the Buick. The BMW then veered right and struck Ryan and Espinosa, both of whom had fallen onto the driveway from the initial impact, according to the report.

The BMW then struck a handrail and an electric sign at the resort before it continued right, crossed over the southbound and northbound lanes of Gulf Shore Drive, and hit a ditch on the east side of the road, where it came to rest.

Racine was not injured in the crash but was also taken to NCH North Naples Hospital, the report stated. Glancy and the three other men in his BMW were not injured.

Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, according to the report. Glancy was cited on suspicion of careless driving in the crash.

Thursday afternoon the signs of Wednesday night's crash were still visible outside the resort as beachgoers passed the popular restaurants and bars on their way to and from Vanderbilt Beach.

Black and white treadmarks on the pavers in the valet lane, and crushed flowers and shrubs, showed the destructive path the BMW had taken.

Outside of Glancy's home on Thursday, four men arrived in a white Jeep and a green BMW.

Source :
North Naples crash kills woman, injures valet at resort