i-95 West Palm Beach Interstate 95 West Palm Beach News Blog

i-95 West Palm Beach News Blog - March 08 ...

> Driver killed in I-95 crash at Lantana identified ... March 28/08
The driver killed in an early morning accident at Interstate 95 and Lantana Road has been identified as Timmy Lewis Askins, 31, of Boynton Beach, the Florida Highway Patrol said. He died at the scene after his car used the southbound I-95 exit ramp about 3:17 a.m. and crossed the westbound and eastbound lanes of Lantana Road and struck a concrete wall, FHP spokesman Lt. Tim Frith said... cont...

> Traffic declining in Palm Beach County ... March 25/08
Commuters on their daily slog to work may not notice. Parents dropping their kids off to school may find it hard to believe. But the traffic they're encountering on Palm Beach County roads actually is less than it was two years ago. Traffic is dropping countywide even on perpetually clogged arteries. Traffic on Glades Road was down 1.36 percent on average last year. On U.S. 1, traffic dropped 2.45 percent. And on Interstate 95, traffic volume is flat. It's a trend that county officials say is unprecedented. Traffic almost always has grown... cont...

> Palm Beach area firefighter charged with impersonating a cop on i-95 ... March 21/08
A Palm Beach Gardens firefighter who used flashing lights in his personal pickup to slow a speeding motorist in front of him has been charged with impersonating a police officer. Terry Scott Petruzzi, 40, was following another pickup on southbound Interstate 95 near Gateway Boulevard around 7 p.m. Thursday, according to an arrest report. Petruzzi was travelling at about 100 mph when a police officer pulled both vehicles over, the report said. Petruzzi told the officer he was on his way to work as a private investigator in Fort Lauderdale. His vehicle had flashing strobe lights in the front and back. "I was trying to slow him down," Petruzzi said, according to his arrest report. Petruzzi had a concealed weapons and private investigator's license, police said. He also had a police scanner, a loaded 9 mm handgun, and a video recorder on the dashboard.... cont...

> Doubletree Debuts New Hotel along i-95 in West Palm Beach ... March 21/08
Doubletree Hotels proudly announces the conversion of the Doubletree Hotel West Palm Beach Airport, representing another addition to the brand’s fast-growing portfolio. Located less than five minutes from West Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), this 175-room Doubletree is also centrally located just one mile from the popular, 72-acre City Place entertainment and shopping district as well as some of South Florida’s most scenic beachfronts on the Atlantic Ocean. Located just one hour north of Miami and 30 minutes north of Fort Lauderdale, at the intersection of Interstate 95 and Okeechobee Boulevard, the Doubletree Hotel West Palm Beach Airport is located at 1808 S. Australian Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL 33409.... cont...

> Crash snarls northbound I-95 traffic into West Palm Beach ... March 20/08
The rollover accident has been cleared from the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 in West Palm Beach, but another wreck to the south continues to hamper the commute at 7:20 a.m., according to Florida Highway Patrol. A crash that happened at 5:39 a.m. blocked all northbound lanes between Belvedere Road and Okeechobee Boulevard for about an hour Thursday morning. But before traffic could clear, another northbound crash at 10th Avenue North in Lake Worth was reported at 7:18 a.m..... cont...

> Wrong-way driver identified in I-95 crash in Delray ... March 18/08
A 25-year-old behind the wheel of a Pontiac on Interstate 95 has been identified as the wrong-way driver in a crash that left three people in a Mercedes-Benz dead, the Florida Highway Patrol determined Tuesday. The driver, Kenneth Jenkins, of North Lauderdale, was in fair condition at Delray Medical Center on Tuesday following Sunday's 5 a.m. crash north of Linton Boulevard. Highway Patrol troopers originally said conflicting statements from witnesses were hampering their ability to determine which car was heading in the wrong direction. But investigators concluded Tuesday that Jenkins' Pontiac was heading south in the northbound lanes and collided head-on with the Mercedes, said Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Tim Frith.... cont...

> Cause of wrong-way crash on I-95 in Delray Beach unclear ... March 17/08
A day after a wrong-way crash on Interstate 95 in Delray Beach left three people dead, Florida Highway Patrol troopers said conflicting statements from witnesses so far are preventing them from determining who was at fault. The 5 a.m. crash north of Linton Boulevard was caused by a driver heading south in the northbound lanes, a sight that caused at least some motorists to call dispatchers to report a wrong-way driver, Highway Patrol Lt. Tim Frith said. Investigators are reviewing those tapes, as well as the statements from drivers and passengers involved in three related crashes, as well as the physical evidence at the scene, Frith said. They also are waiting for results of toxicology tests, he said. "A lot of people are involved in this crash. That's why it's taking a lot of time," he said, adding that troopers will not release the cause of the crash until they are "100 percent sure.".... cont...

> Video: Driver recalls brush with tragedy in I-95 wrong-way crash ... March 17/08
Edward Duggan had a near-brush with disaster on Interstate 95 in the wake of a head-on collision that killed three people. What he and his wife saw likely will stay with them the rest of their lives. A Mercedes-Benz had smashed into another car in Delray Beach early Sunday morning. One of them was going the wrong way, but authorities aren't sure which one yet. The driver of the wrong-way vehicle triggered a series of three wrecks that also injured seven other people, including a police officer who tried to stop the car. "I heard a very, very loud bang, and the car next to us was thrown against us," said Duggan, 76, of Short Hills, N.J. "We pulled over and got on the shoulder. We were both very shaken.".... cont...

> Three killed in i-95 wrong-way crash ... March 16/08
A car driving the wrong way down a Florida interstate caused a crash Sunday that left three people dead and sent several others to the hospital. Lt. Tim Frith of the Florida Highway Patrol said the deadly accident occurred in the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 in Delray Beach. He added that alcohol was suspected to have been a factor, The Palm Beach Post reported. "There are signs all over the place saying 'wrong way,'" Frith said.... cont...

> Fog patches pause commute in Palm Beach County ... March 14/08
The morning commute will be punctuated by patches of fog. The National Weather Service reported at 6:41 a.m. that in some areas fog may limit visibility to less than a mile, particularly in western stretches of Palm Beach County and running south into Broward and Miami-Dade counties.... cont...

> Ocean Ridge motorist killed on I-95 exit ramp ... March 5/08
William Martin was exiting northbound I-95 in West Palm Beach when his SUV veered out of control onto the shoulder of the ramp and crashed, the FHP said.... cont...

> Giant bunny draws attention on I-95 ... March 4/08
Police wrangled a gigantic pink bunny from atop an overpass above Interstate-95 in Palm Beach Gardens this morning. "He was a hazard," said a Gardens dispatcher, and apparently causing quite a traffic back up to boot. The fuzzy culprit turned out to be the Buzz Bunny, who is promoting Buzz 103.1 FM's upcoming adult Easter egg hunt. He was standing on the overpass just south of Donald Ross Road and waving down at drivers. "I'm going to have to have a talk with the bunny," said the station's promotions director Brett Russell. "Obviously we don't mean to do that." The bunny was called in by a Gardens police officer shortly before 8:40 a.m., according to dispatchers.... cont...