Three Children Killed in Crash Near Shands Bridge

By Jessica Clark First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- A head-on collision near the Shands Bridge killed two little girls and a young boy Monday afternoon.

The crash happened just west of the Shands Bridge.

"There was a lot of chaos involved, and of course, you can imagine, given the number of people involved and the people coming out to the scene trying to help out and so (it was) very chaotic," said Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson Lt. Bill Leeper.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a 1995 Toyota Pickup, driven by Elmer E. Polite, 66, of St. Augustine, crossed the center line into the path of oncoming traffic.

The pickup truck slammed into a 2000 Chrysler van. The van had four people from the Donatelli family inside. 36-year-old Ernest Donatelli and 35-year-old Michele Donatelli were taken to Shands Jacksonville with minor injuries. Seven-year-old Nicholas Donatelli and two-year-old Isabella Donatelli were not hurt. All had their seatbelts on.

The pickup careened into a second car, a 2001 Chrysler Van with five people inside. The driver, Lisa Buttafuoco of Stroudsburg, PA, was taken to Shands with serious injuries. 56-year-old Anne Fiore, of Wantagu, New York, was taken to Shands with minor injuries. 55-year-old John Fiore was taken to Shands with minor injuries. Five-year-old Michael Buttafuoco and three-year-old Ann Marie Buttafuoco were killed. The FHP said all had their seatbelts on as well.

After hitting the second van, the pickup spun around and rolled before crashing into a third vehicle, a 2004 Dodge truck with two people inside. Mark Rosales, 24, and passenger Sarah Fiore were taken to Shands Jacksonville with minor injuries. Authorities say the two had their seatbelts on at the time of the crash.

Victoria Brandt, 8, was killed after being ejected from the pickup truck as it rolled. The FHP says Brandt didn't have a seatbelt on. A three-year-old child, Jazelle Coffmen, was taken to Shands with minor injuries. Coffmen was wearing a seatbelt. The crash report does not indicate whether Polite had his seatbelt on, but authorities say charges are pending.

"It's difficult," said Lt. Leeper. "You go to these scenes a lot and you try not to let it affect you but it does. Particularly when there are young people involved."

The last fatal crash was in September 2003, when 39-year old Sherry Hamilton swerved to avoid a ladder in the road. A Florida Rock concrete truck struck her in the back, sending Hamilton over the side to a watery death.

That prompted the Department of Transportation to raise the guardrails to a height of 34-inches at a cost of nearly $2 million.

It is a narrow roadway, described by many drivers as, "claustrophobic."

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