Two Injured In Highway 97 Rollover Crash

July 11, 2015

Two Monroeville, AL, residents were injured in a single vehicle rollover accident Saturday morning on Highway 97 near Walnut Hill.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 19-year old Cadauious Nyketih Kentrey Smith lost control of his 2010 Ford Fusion while northbound on Highway 97 near Highway 164 about 6:25 a.m.. The vehicle entered the ditch south of Highway 164, went airborne over Highway 164 after striking a culvert, and overturned multiple times. The vehicle came to rest in a ditch north of Highway 164.

Smith and his passenger, 16-year old Nichlos Gross, were transported to Atmore Community Hospital by ambulance. Their injuries were considered minor.

The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash.

Pictured: Two people were injured in this single vehicle rollover accident on Highway 97 near Walnut Hill Saturday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

10 Responses to “Two Injured In Highway 97 Rollover Crash”

  1. india mix on July 14th, 2015 5:01 pm

    im glad my ex boyfriend is okay

  2. Oak Grove Bub on July 13th, 2015 9:57 am

    Seems like these roads up here just take the notion to run out from under vehicles….LOL!!!!

  3. Baebae on July 13th, 2015 9:36 am

    I wonder if the majority of the accidents are from the highway itself or are they driver error…there are a lot of accidents on this highway no doubt…seems like a lot are occurring when the driver LOSES CONTROL…swerve to avoid hittin a deer and probably speed…which it does not take much for a driver to lose attention and end up in a crash….just glad the teens were not hurt seriously….

  4. countrygirl on July 13th, 2015 8:28 am

    i agree with Richard… the reason people drive aggressively on this road is because there are so many slow people (45-50mph), no passing lanes, and very few places to pass safely… also, almost every day as I drive 97, someone will pull out of an ajoining road or lane with out looking, right in front of me… i refuse to slow down for idiots like that. 45 is just as dangerous as 65 or 70 if you are making traffic back up behind you!

  5. richard on July 12th, 2015 12:28 am

    I was driving home tonight from church going south on 97 from Atmore. when I came up behind a car driving 40 to 45 MPH. as the cars backed up behind this inconsiderate person, I had the chance to pass. and then others started trying to pass. this car would not move over to the shoulder to let others pass, but was riding the center line. these people are just as dangerous as speeders if not more dangerous. it is by Florida law just as illegal to impede traffic flow as it is to speed.
    use your rearview mirror. if you see car backed up behind you. You are the one that is causing a dangerous situation.

  6. Laura ellis on July 11th, 2015 9:48 pm

    Seen the wreck this morning . yes I agree with Linda people speed on 97 bad. We live off 164 the construction work going on right there we have had people pass us in the bottom of that dip while workers present. We need more law enforcement patrolling. This vehicle just came through that construction zone he must have been speeding. Its only 45 through there

  7. Jim on July 11th, 2015 8:52 pm

    I understand that our County and State law enforcement have bigger problems than the north end of the county, but the people that travel through are endangering the health and lives of the people that live up here. It is rare that I see any LE working traffic on Hwy-97, and when they do they usually park where they can be seen for a long way off. That is not affecting how people drive.

    I have to drive Hwy- 97 to go anywhere and have been run off of the road and especially passed at high rates of speeds while driving the speed limit.
    I have been passed almost everywhere = School zone, curves, hills, double yellow lines, etc., virtually every time I go to Atmore or Hwy-29.

    If LE wanted to make a difference all they need is an unmarked pick-up truck and they could write tickets as fast as possible to write. All they have to do is drive from Hwy-29 to Hwy-97 and back all day and a good part of the night at the speed limit.

    The real answer is probably a more comprehensive test to get a FL driver’s License and retesting at driver’s expense to maintain the privilege to drive along with stiffer penalties for infractions.
    Driving deaths and injuries far out number other causes that people get so upset about.

  8. Ponderosa hill on July 11th, 2015 7:58 pm

    1. $1000.00 fine for speeding(1st)…. $2500.00 2nd…. $5000.00 3rd & loss of license for 18 months.

    2.check cell phone records & double fines etc. if texting while driving ( I see it often) and think it’s causing a lot of loss of control and roll-over single vehicle accidents.

    3. Need more consistent & thought-out speed limits county wide & not constant changes of limits i.e. Hwy 29.

    4. Sheriff’s dept. needs to be more pro-active as Highway Patrol can’t do much more than respond to accidents .

  9. mick on July 11th, 2015 5:30 pm

    Apparently lost control? that’s a curve into a downhill northbound. You have got to be paying attention in order to be in control of a vehicle…Another highway 97 statistic.

  10. Linda Williams on July 11th, 2015 10:32 am

    I would like to know the statistics for accidents on Hwy 97. I travel this road often and am amazed at the number of drivers who speed ( I mean 10 and 15 miles over the limit) and so many pass on a double yellow line! One really has to drive defensively on this road and always have “the big picture”. I pray that I won’t become one of the senseless fatalities from these poor drivers. I pray for those who have already lost loved ones on this road. I wish the FHP or Escambia Sheriffs office had the manpower to monitor this road more closely. I do not know the answer but it is a BIG problem. Any ideas?

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News