PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A 68-year-old woman, who was a passenger in a car, was killed Friday morning in a crash near West Palm Beach.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said the wreck happened just after 7 a.m. on Haverhill Road near the intersection with Sunny Lane Avenue.
According to the incident report, a Ford Taurus driven by a 69-year-old man was headed southbound on Haverhill Road and attempted to turn east onto Sunny Lane Avenue.
A second vehicle, a Mitsubishi Montero driven by a 51-year-old man, was traveling northbound on Haverhill Road.
As the Taurus turned, it entered the path of the Montero, which was unable to avoid a collision.
The front of the Montero hit the passenger side of the Taurus, killing Maria Tolento, 68, who was a passenger in the Taurus.
The driver of the Taurus sustained serious injuries in the crash, the incident report said.
The driver of the Montero had minor injuries. There were two passengers in his vehicle and one of them sustained minor injuries.
"It’s terrible, people are trying to make left hand turns out of Sunny and the guard rail over there by the canal is high and you can’t see, and you hear squealing all hours of the night," said Betty Newlan who lives near the intersection where the crash happened. "“You said you’ve lived here for fourty years, so in your 40 years how many accidents would you say you’ve seen?”
She said she's had to stop replacing her fence, damaged by accidents because she can no longer afford to.
“Didn’t surprise me at all, doesn’t surprise me and it’s sad cause now someone lost their life," said Lisa Smith, another resident who lives next to where the crash happened.
Other neighbors, like Lisa Smith, said she has seen a huge growth in the amount of traffic over the years. She said people speed through Haverhill Road as there are no lights between Gun Club Road and Summit Boulevard.
"I’m not one that likes lights that you sit, but it seems like you need something. You have kids sitting out here in the morning for school and I would hate to see another episode," said Smith.
