Barrineau Park Construction Zone Wreck Injures One (Updated)

October 12, 2010

One person was injured when a pickup truck collided a sweeper in a construction zone on Barrineau Park Road Tuesday morning.

The accident happened about 7:10 a.m. just west of Schifko Road when a 1996 GMC pickup driven by William Findley, 69, of Molino collided with a street sweeper operated by Jaime Rodriguez, 24, of Pensacola. Both vehicles were eastbound on Barrineau Park Road when Findley struck the rear of the slow-moving construction vehicle, according to the FHP.

Rodriguez was transported to a West Florida Hospital by ambulance with minor injuries; Findley suffered minor injuries but was not transported to the hospital.

Findley was cited with careless driving by the FHP.

The force of the impact pushed the Broce Broom sweeper operated by Roads, Inc. onto the shoulder of Barrineau Park Road. The pickup came to rest in the middle of the roadway, shutting down Barrineau Park Road for about an hour.

The accident was investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol.  Engine 1819 from the Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded to the morning crash.

Pictured above and below: A road sweeper driver was injured in this crash with a pickup truck Tuesday morning on Barrineau Park Road. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

21 Responses to “Barrineau Park Construction Zone Wreck Injures One (Updated)”

  1. Pleasssseee Give me a break on October 14th, 2010 9:21 am

    Oh come one almost everyone up here has been down that road and
    while I don’t speed and I slow down when ever there is a sign that
    says workmen ahead or road work ahead or slow down,…… I crawl……

    You know why?

    Because when those words are up it give these guys a license and men
    don’t seem to need a license to push every envelope there ever was….
    so just give them one and watch what they do….

    This road and road work was a hazzard from the get go……
    They don’t care some of the time…..they don’t always put up everything they
    should…..where they should and they certainly don’t always have a flagman
    as the one on 97 has been doing.

    Which is probably why the one on 97 has not had anyone hurt.

    The sun in the am depending when you come through can sometimes
    blind you at a moments notice and then disappear behind a tree moment
    later, just as the dust from the sweeper can be clear one moment and then
    he starts the dag gum thing up and walla there it is…
    No matter how slow you go….sometimes things just happen just that
    fast.

  2. Laurie on October 14th, 2010 7:53 am

    Well I am not surprised to see an accident there. I was traveling just east of Schifko Road about two weeks ago and the sweeper was traveling right towards me on my side of the road. Might I add that there were NO Flagmen! Only a sign that read “flagman ahead” but NO FLAGMAN in sight….and the driver of the sweeper was quite aggrivated with me (I could tell by his hand gestures) that I was simply traveling down the road! He had a truck following him with flashers on but that was it. Where this occured there is a hill and the driver of the truck was flagging me with his hand to go around him while the street sweeper guy was telling me to stop by signal with his hands! However I was pretty much stuck to wait for the MOTORCYCLE that was coming in the opposite lane that, might I add, had I follwed the hand signal of the truck driver I would have hit head on and likely killed! They really need to get it together and do their job. I think they are probably trying to save a $ by not having the proper FLAGMEN! If they are gonna do the job they really need to do it right and be a little bit SAFER in the process!!!!

  3. Well... on October 13th, 2010 1:39 pm

    If the Sun was the “cause” how would you like to see the company make the site safer? If you can’t see on a certain road at a certain time EVERYDAY then please find a new route so the rest of us can stay safe. Everyone always wants to blame someone else for thier actions, just do what YOU can to make life better/easier for everyone involved. We all just need to do our part :)

  4. Carol on October 13th, 2010 10:40 am

    Molino Jim–Yes, we can see the barrells. Too bad they weren’t up the road ahead of where the sweeper was working. Also, the driver of the truck did slow down.
    No one is questioning the judgement of the excellent officer who worked this accident. However, many people are extremely concerned about the unsafe conditions here. We are all thankful that no one was seriously injured, and hope that this unfortunate accident will bring pressure on the construction company to make their construction sites safer.

  5. molino jim on October 13th, 2010 8:43 am

    Ref. no barrels on the roadway–what are the large orange things at the accident site? Marcia-sorry to have to tell you but in Ala. you can be cited for the rear ender. I would guess in this case the citation was based on failing to also use due care. I live in the area and any number of times I have had to slow for farm tractors and so on going down the road way. I do have a degree in CJ and know a good amount about Ala. law and also Fla. law. The sun was very well the reason for the accident—but you have to come back to failure to use due care in a work zone. It’s good that no one was killed or hurt bad.

  6. Chris on October 13th, 2010 5:57 am

    Not surprised! NO FLAG MAN on the road when I have gone down it while they where working in the road.

  7. Marcia L. Findley-Shaw on October 12th, 2010 9:53 pm

    Dave- At what point did you get your degree in criminal justice? You nor your little CSI buddy Well have any right to make acusations when you were not there nor do you know the driver. What differance does it even make to you who was at fault. Get a life and get out of the business of other people! The only thing that is important is that everyone is ok! Just the other day I was driving here in Mobile and the morning sun hit me in the eyes and it scared me to death because for a moment I could not see anything. I was lucky nothing happened at that point.

    Do you realize that in the state of Florida that no matter the circumstances in that type of wreck the person who does the rearending is sited. Had it happened here in Alabama he would not have been sited. So, that says that maybe there is a flaw in the Florida law.

    So, when you get your criminal law degree you and Mr. CSI can then make statements about situations such as this. Until then find something productive to do!

  8. Dave on October 12th, 2010 8:49 pm

    RJFB: “Findley was cited for careless driving” by the FHP. Nuff said.

  9. bama boy on October 12th, 2010 8:20 pm

    RJFB I know your father, I go to church with him. I am praying for him.

  10. RJFB on October 12th, 2010 7:50 pm

    I will start of by responding to those of you (Well and Dave) who have know idea what or who you are talking about. The driver of the truck in this accident is my father and one of the most careful and responsible drivers on the road! We should all have the same driving record he has! Did either of you wittness the accident? I think not! There were 2 parties involved, who are you to assume who was at fault? Don’t start pointing fingers in a sittuation or bad mouthing people you know nothing about! To those of you (Carol, Bama Boy, TJ, Molino & EW Mom, and others) thank you for stating the facts of the current dangerous sittuation on this road and showing concern for the well being of those involved in this accident.

  11. well on October 12th, 2010 5:57 pm

    By the pictures you can tell the sun was in no ones eyes.
    Bad driving is bad driving.
    We as drivers are very impatient, late, in a hurry and dangerous in construction zones.

    Hope everyone is okay.

  12. bama boy on October 12th, 2010 5:51 pm

    I know this I have been driving careful and still you cannot see due to the glare of the sun on this road.

  13. Dave on October 12th, 2010 5:05 pm

    Well, the folks KNEW this road was under construction. Due care was not excersized. If I travel down a road and know the hazards, I make sure to slow down. {Carol} stated there was a lot of dust. Should that not be a clue that work is being done? It amazing people start blaming everything. The sun?? It”s there every morning,glare is to be expected. The problem is, people just don”t know how to drive unless the weather and conditions are perfect.. Theres a difference between steering a vehicle and driving a vehicle.

  14. Carol on October 12th, 2010 1:14 pm

    The accident actually happened a little earlier than reported. The sun was very bright. There were no signs, no cones, no flagman, and the machine was completely enveloped in a cloud of dust which it created. The injured driver of the machine was not wearing his seatbelt. Just a few facts.

  15. TJ on October 12th, 2010 12:18 pm

    I’m on this road every morning and the sun is Bright!!! But the sign men need yellow or orange on they don’t know what the other one is doing at all!!! And this morning the lowboy was in the road at 29 and 196 no one was there flaging!!! Kevin White go see what is going on!!!

  16. Molino and EW Mom on October 12th, 2010 10:48 am

    I travel this road during the same time of the morning and heading towards Hwy 29 the sun is so bright that it’s difficult to see the flag man. I can see how a accident could happen. Hope all injured recover quickly.

  17. Hwy 196 resident on October 12th, 2010 10:44 am

    I live on this road. I drive it daily going East towards Hwy 196. I have, in the past, driven this road when the man holding the slow/stop sign doesn’t have it showing correctly. The person down the road a bit, yells to him to turn his sign. Other than that, they are moving along quite well (and fast). Glad no one was seriously hurt. The real danger of this road, though, is people excessively speeding. Hwy 196 and Hwy 29 is one of the most dangerous intersections in the area. I think it would help if the road department would put up flashing red lights on Hwy 196, traveling East towards Hwy 29, on the south side of the road as a warning that a dangerous intersection was ahead.

  18. Experience on October 12th, 2010 10:30 am

    I used work for a paving company and they sent me to school to be over paving projects. I know from that school that the sweeper should have been operating inside a blocked off lane. Roads inc seldomly puts barrels up or puts flagmen out. Sounds to me that they are at fault as well as the driver of the pick up.

  19. barrineau on October 12th, 2010 9:22 am

    Under further investigation I see one was injured.Prayers for all.

  20. barrineau on October 12th, 2010 9:19 am

    I drive this road daily, and I can tell you from experience that the workers on this road DO NOT care .I even went as far as writing an email to Roads inc. about two weeks ago because they did not have a flagman or any safety cones …nothing. I am quite sure the driver of the pickup will take the heat for this one. Thank GOD no one was hurt. EVERYONE be careful.

  21. Cheryl on October 12th, 2010 9:16 am

    That guy in the truck just had an expensive little wreck in a construction zone… if it was his fault. Glad no one was hurt too bad.