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Driver In Serious Condition After Highway 97 Wreck
December 8, 2011
[Updated An 80-year old Century woman was serious injured in a two vehicle wreck late Thursday morning in front of the Piggly Wiggly in Davisville.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Martez Dortch was traveling south on Highway 97 when she attempted to turn her 2007 Ford Taurus into the store parking lot. She crossed into the path of a northbound 1998 Ford pickup driven by 25-year old Reuben Maxwell of Century.
Dortch was transported by ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital in serious condition. Maxwell was not injured.
Dortch was cited by the FHP for violation of right of way.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Atmore Fire Department, Atmore Ambulance and Escambia County EMS responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
21 Responses to “Driver In Serious Condition After Highway 97 Wreck”
If you are wanting to take the lic. of the elderly then maybe they need to up the driving age for teenagers. I’ve seen more wrecks by teenagers than elderly. Just a thought.
Are prayers are with Mrs. Dortch
Being one of “those old people who still drive”. I feel I can comment about driving skills. Study after study have shown older drivers are in less wrecks than young and middle age drivers. I look more than once to check on the distance of an on coming car due to some younger drivers are unable to read speed/stop/no passing signs. I try to alway keep a safe distance between my vehicle and the car in front of me. I can not recall the number of times I have been tail gated by some one in a great hurry.Also there are times all drivers can be blinded by the sun plus other factors. I and my wife take the refresher classes offered by ARRP to keep up to date. We do not play with the radio, cell phone, put on make up or read the paper while driving. Pulling a persons license based on age is not the way to go.
Wait till you turn 80 and see if you want your licence pull. I suspect she will probably quit driving now on her own. It is the licence bureau that should do that, not family!
I agree totally with mcdavid..there are so many fragile senior citizens that have family members that dont even take them grocery shopping..its a sad
REGARDING:
“Did y’all ever consider this isn’t her fault? Maybe she has no family members around her or that are working! She might’ve had to get food or money! – - – And yes she does need her license taken from her”
Not having family members around does not mean you have to pull out in the path of other drivers.
Even if you need food, that doesn’t mean you HAVE to pull out in the path of other drivers. Given a bit of patience, there will be a break in traffic long enough to get on the road without hitting other drivers or being hit by them.
But, if it weren’t her fault and if she does NEED to drive, why do you believe she needs her license taken away?
If you care about her at all, you should want her safe.
David for caution and caring for her
and the others she encounters
If they take away the elderlys licenses are you going to take the responsibility to take them where they need to go. Some people wont even take their own parents to the doctors or to their store.
i really think they should re-test the eldery after about the age 70 cause im here to tell u my mother-in-law is just turning 80 still drives and scares the crap out of me they really need to set an age to re-test these people..not saying nothing bad about the eldery or anything but they did invent the word retired for a reason JUST SAYING
I personally know this elderly sweet woman and she does not need to be driving anymore. Yes I feel very sorry for her and the other person. It is very hard to take the independence of driving away from our elderly, but we all have to realize that everyone will reach this condition if they live long enough. The elderly need to have to take driving test to make sure they are still able to drive safely on the highways. My prayers go out to the Dortch and Maxwell families………
Did y’all ever consider this isn’t her fault? Maybe she has no family members around her or that are working! She might of had to get food or money! She may be old but she is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Y’all need to hush saying that old people can’t drive and have no business driving. And yes she does need her license taken from her. Even some of her family said that. But that doesn’t mean ALL old people can’t drive! Stop criticizing everything!
yes ,this is the same lady from the accident that ocurred on Hwy 4….
There’s only so much that car can take. Time to retire it and her.
It is time for ms. Martez to turn her license in. She has been a strong community figure for years…but it is time for her tohave her own personal taxi driver…bless her heart. )-=
@ Mick – “45 mph from hwy 29 to the stateline”, seriously? Apparently you have no where to go and all day to get there. That isn’t the case for most of us that drive 97 daily on our way to work and school. Lower speed limits only means that people will take more risks getting around you. People just need to learn how to drive and should learn to be courteous to others, which means stop trying to control traffic by intentionally driving less than the speed limit!
Our prayers go out to Mrs Dortch, your friends and neighbors hope you have full and speedy recovery.
REGARDING:
“But forward your opinions to the folks that can make a change, ”
Nobody here could make a change if pointed out that certain practices are unsafe or that certain people drive unsafely?
I wish the lady well AND I wish others well as well. Oh well,
David for good avice heeded
this does start to look like a pattern. age having nothing to do with it but if you keep pulling out in front of others…..
David for clear paths ere turning
lest people be hurt
Come on folks. Have a little class and quit making comments that can be taken as hurtfull. Quit lumping ALL old people in with some that may need something done. It gets old reading under these tragic accidents and seeing the comments some people make. Next thing you know, someone will say, wonder if they where wearing a seatbelt or speeding. Pray for them, and yes, by all means, form your opinions. But forward your opinions to the folks that can make a change, not post them where you can hurt an innocent family member.
80 years old?, time to sell the car, let a relative or friend run the errands and take care of this woman. this is just another example of the immediate need for law enforcement to police this dangerous road more closely.
Very few people obey the posted speed limit on this road. You run the speed limit and all you get are tailgaters in a hurry to get no where.
A woman passed me the other morning in a pickup, she was going at least 70mph, reckless driving only because she was late in getting her kid to school at Molino elementary.
The speed limit needs to be lowered to 45 mph the whole way between Hwy 29 and state line.
Nothing against older folks driving, but OBVIOUSLY, her family needs to have her license taken away before she kills someone or herself!
>>Isn’t this the same elderly lady that was in an accident not long ago on Hwy 4?
http://www.northescambia.com/?p=71616
Isn’t this the same elderly lady that was in an accident not long ago on Hwy 4?
30 minutes from accident occurance to posting on NORTHESCAMBIA.COM!! wow, lightening fast! (
thx william)