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FHP Releases Details Of Sunday Highway 29 Crash
April 23, 2013
Tuesday afternoon, the Florida Highway Patrol released details about a two vehicle crash early Sunday evening that injured four people on Highway 29 at Bluff Springs Road.
According to FHP, Blaze Thomas Harkness, age 18 of Century, was stopped at the stop sign on Byrneville Road when he turned his 2004 Dodge Durango onto Highway 29 and into the path of a northbound 2008 Chevrolet Aveo driven by 28-year old Jessica Moore Gates of LaGrange, GA.
Harkeness was transported to Jay Hospital with minor injuries. Jessica Gates and a passenger, 23-year Timisha Gates of LaGrange, were transported to Sacred Heart Hospital by ambulance with minor injuries. A backseat passenger in the vehicle, 10-year old Mykeria Thomas was airlifted by LifeFlight to Sacred Heart Hospital in serious but stable condition.
Harkness was cited for failing to yield to oncoming traffic.
Escambia County EMS and the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash.
Pictured: Four people were injured in this two-vehicle crash Sunday evening on Highway 29 at Bluff Springs Road. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
27 Responses to “FHP Releases Details Of Sunday Highway 29 Crash”
Glad the young man is ok. My father had a wreck there 13 months ago. It is a bad crossing. He was 66 at the time. Accidents happen. Glad everyone survived.
R.I.P. Charles Edward Reid.
JR.
Read the article closer it says child was in serious but stable condition that doesn’t mean that child is ok, plus they were away from home get the pic. , they might have had to return forwork or other responsibilities, & now without a car.
Note to Self : for whatever reason…if you can’t see, DON’T PROCEED-forward or backward. Pull over, roll down the window,or get out of the car and look and get the ice, fog, sunlight, etc. out of your line of vision.
Thank you william that was my thoughts exactly.. I wonder how lessons can be learned if all his friends and others make excuses and yes thank God everyone was OK this time but could of been very different and as a parent I want this young man to realize if you can’t see don’t pull out if anything impaires you Waite because once a life is taken we don’t get second chances. And i do not want anyone thinking I am judging because I am not . He could of lost his life and I don’t want his family or anyone else’s to feel that neverending pain.
“Captain Obvious wrote”
>>A quich look at google maps shows that at the intersection of Bluff Springs road and Highway 29, he would have been facing pearls the west
No. Per the article, and the FHP report, he “was at the stop sign on Byrneville Road when he turned his 2004 Dodge Durango onto Highway 29″
Sitting at Byrneville Road and Highway 29, you are facing east (well,actually a little more southeast).
A quich look at google maps shows that at the intersection of Bluff Springs road and Highway 29, he would have been facing pearls the west, meaning that the sun indeed WAS in his eyes when he was turning. Check your facts before you go spouting off accusations.
I agree with Blaze’s other friends. He already feels bad enough without people having their “I’m better than you, I’ve never made a mistake,” attitudes and harassing him. He has been affected enough by this. If you want to point fingers, at least know all of the details. This is a difficult intersection, and this is not the first, and most likely won’t be the last, accident that has happened here. Everyone is ok, and that is all that should matter.
Honestly, Blaze hasn’t done anything wrong. People are over reacting. The charges on him are ridiculous! He couldn’t see with the glare of the sunlight. The child is fine that was in the other car and everyone else is too. I honestly would say Blaze had the worst of all of this..
Just drop it , accidents happen, and be glad everyone us okay,there is no reason to argue about.
REGARDING:
“Those pictures were take when all the injuries were transported out, which was around 7:00 pm so yea the sun was behind the trees, but at 5:54 pm it was not, it was still over the trees”
Since you are convinced it is okay to drive out into possible oncoming traffic if you can’t see it, please go to Bluff Springs Crossroad and check from one pm until 9 pm and report back to us at which times the sun is in your eyes as you face east toward Bluff Springs Road while sitting at the Stop sign.
Regardless, be glad your friend, his little dog and the other people weren’t killed.
David for empirical results
and a loving Lord
Those pictures were take when all the injuries were transported out, which was around 7:00 pm so yea the sun was behind the trees, but at 5:54 pm it was not, it was still over the trees
What good is a red light when selfish people run them all the time. That’s not the answer its called slow down and pay attention before you KILL someone…
You got it David,
The pictures show the sun barely on the tops of the trees not on the roadway.
East bound at 5:57 PM, sun in eyes?
even if so
if you can’t see
don’t go
David confused
the sun was shining thro the windows soo blaze couldnt see he did nun wrong it was just the way the sun came thro the windows!!!
i got ur back bro.
I have been at that intersection many, many times. The traffic coming from the north are usually speeding, but even if they aren’t, that curve gives a sort of “optical illusion”, as they are closer than they appear. You have to be very careful, because they seem far enough away, but when you pull out to cross Hwy 29 to Byrneville Road, the oncoming traffice is “suddenly” very close. That curve seems to be a lot of that problem. But as far as the wrecks there, seems like many do involve teenagers.
Nothing worse than people getting hurt or killed by people not paying attention. Stop signs mean proceed when the path is clear not slow down and pretend you looked.
Hope everyone involved is okay.
I grew up at that intersection when I was a child.It still trouibles me how many wreck happen there.Nine out of ten times the persons in the wrecks are locals.
Why do they not put red lights on railroad tracks? If so then trains would not kill people. STOP signs are installed telling you to stop before you kill someone..Obey the law, Stop and look twice in each direction and be safe. Especially if it is a known hazardous intersection. People do not know the difference between stop and yield, most times we yield.
I am praying for the families involved, and especially the innocent little child. As a native of Bluff Springs I have to say I have seen MANY wrecks at the crossroads. However, I was never involved in one because I always obeyed the stop sign and took care to look both ways before preceeding across 29 to Byrneville Road. (and that means stopping in the median and looking for traffic again before crossing all the way over). Vehicles that are northbound come down that small hill and curve at a very fast speed, so it pays to take a good look before venturing out into the road. It may have taken me longer to cross the highway but it saved my life and my car. People, please STOP for STOP signs, and go back to what your mom’s taught you, LOOK BOTH WAYS before crossing!
That place has always scared me because of so many wrecks. I truly think a stop light is the best solution, because those caution lights doesn’t slow people down at all. I see cars speeding seventy miles an hour thru there every week. I pray that all the people involved will be okay.
It really doesn’t need a light, people need to pay attention & stop @ the stop signs on either side & the ones on 29 needs to slow down. I don’t know who hit who or who was driving the durango but the high school student that I’ve seen driving it needs to take a driving class because he doesn’t know how to, back in football season he done a little damage to a car at a ballgame but it wasn’t turned in, & I just wonder what story he told to his parents bout what happened.
As a local resident of the area, I can say that one problem most people do not take into account is the gravel laying in road on Byrneville Road, The gravel seams to start about 40 yards before the location of the stop sign. My grandfather and I own and operate a local lawncare business in the Tri-County area, and I have locked up the brakes on the gravel at a mere 25 mph while coming to a stop. I agree with Davids idea for once
don’t tell anyone though 
A barrier could solve the problem, I mean their are other medians not to far up the road.
Or people might consider stopping at the stop sign.
It would be inconvenient but a right turn only road barrier on Bluff Springs Road and on Byrneville Road should cure most of it
You would think after all the wrecks that has happen wright there they would have put a red light there but my prayers go out to those that where in the wreck hope that everyone will be ok
Hope everyone is OK.Looks like a horrible crash!
Praying everyone is ok so many people loose their lives here they should put up a red light.