ple such as Jeffrey Kerutis,who was running errandsthedaya92-year-oldgreat-grandmother left the safetyof a curb and, before heknew it, he was dialing 911amidher dying groans.
It shatters Edward Cof-fie, who prayed night aftersleepless night for forgive-ness in the months aftertwo teenage girls ran infront of his car.
“Regardless that Iwasn’tat fault, a young lady losther life, andthatwill eatmeup the rest of my life,” Cof-fie said.
Like Coffie, the vast ma-jority of driverswere not atfault in the crashes. CristynRochelle, who struck andkilled a drunken pedestri-an, said learning that shedidnothingwrongdid littleto lightenher burden.
“I unfortunately am avictim … that’s still alive,”said Rochelle, who is now20 butwas 17 at the time ofthe crash. “You will alwayswonder if you could’vedone something different,gone a different way or leftearlier. … It is a part of whoI amnow.”
WoundshiddenThe wounds drivers en-
dure may not be as visiblebut are still damaging. Psy-chologist Frank Fine saidthe trauma they face is notunlike that of soldiers re-turninghome fromwar.
Though the circum-stances are different, bothdrivers and soldiers makedecisions that can lead tothe deaths of others. Thestress stemming fromthose choices triggers simi-lar emotional reactions, hesaid.
“They can be angry atGod, angry at the peoplewho died, angry at them-selves or even at the car-maker,” said Fine, who hasprovided crisis interven-tionforpeopleafternaturaldisasterssuchasHurricane
KatrinaandforsurvivorsoftheWorldTradeCenter at-tacks. “The reality is onesecond would havechanged theoutcomecom-pletely, but there is nothingthey cando to change it.”
The overwhelming de-sire to take back that split-second gnaws at their core,drivers said.
Matthew McAdams feltthe urge to flee when herealized the sickeningsound against his pickup’sbumper was a human be-ingstriking it.KasonBailey,16, died inOctober 2010, ly-ing in a crowd of friendssurroundinghimonAlomaAvenue.
Troopers later discov-ered the teen was drunkand tried to get up after hewas struck by McAdams’truck. A second vehicle de-
livered the fatal blow andranhimover.
“Itwas tough to swallowbecause I thought I killedhim,” the 50-year-old said.“For the first hour or so, Ireally couldn’t get my headaround it.”
‘It’s a long road’Fine said patients have
twooptions: They can con-tinue living or stop alto-gether.
ForCoffie, 27, puttinghisgoals on hold seemed theonly reasonable recoursehehad after the accident.
Coffie had no time tostop before a pair of bestfriends ran across StateRoad 46 in April 2012 ontheirway to the county fair.Xiomara Muñoz, 15, and
Thalia Cruz, then 14, mis-calculated traffic and paidthe price.
Xiomara was declaredbrain-dead six days later.Thalia survivedbutwas se-verely disabled.
Coffiehadbeenstudyingfor stateexams tobecomealicensedoccupational ther-apist but couldn’t finish thetest after the crash. It feltwrong to move forward ifthe girls couldn’t do thesame, he said.
Rochelle was in highschoolwhenshekilledPat-rickLoftisonSouthOrangeBlossom Trail in July 2010.She, too,was not at fault.
“I couldn’t laugh orsmile, have a good time orenjoy my life because I feltguilty knowing this manwould never laugh andsmile and have a good time
because of me,” Rochellesaid. “They kept telling meI didn’t need to feel guilty,but it’s not about havingdone somethingwrong butthat I took someone’s lifeaway.”
During sessions, Finesaid he challenges his pa-tients’ irrational thoughtsand self-destructive behav-iors.
“I tell them, ‘No matterhow much punishmentyou get, it won’t bring [thevictims] back,’ ” he said.
But even the strongest,such as Orlando business-man Kerutis, can even-tually fall apart.
One day inMay 2011, thelight turned green atWaterBridgeBoulevardwhentheentrepreneur, now 49,placed his foot on the ac-
celeratorofhisCadillacEs-calade to roll south on Or-angeBlossomTrail.
“Thenallofasuddenoutofmyperiphery, somethingcaughtmy eye,” Kerutis re-called. “I swerved.”
A 92-year-old great-grandmother tried to crossthewide, busy road atmid-block.TheSUVsideswipedher.
Isabel Maria Paganrolled twice and came to arest. “Mamita” — knownfor her cooking and love ofgambling — went into car-diac arrest, according toherobituary.Shediedthreedays later.
Florida Highway Patroltroopers at the scene toldhim: “Itwasn’t your fault.”
So, bottling the pressure,hewent to thenext job thatday, setting up a party forhis catering business. Asweekspassed,Kerutis shel-tered himself in his wood-working, fashioning furni-ture from exotic lumber inhismancave,butsaidnoth-ing.
Yet life ground himdown.Hiswife lost her job.His father got cancer. Pa-gan’s family sued. He be-came angry all the time,short with others and im-patient.
“That’s when it hit me,”Kerutis said.
He sought counseling towork through the latentemotional stress.
In theworst of cases, theconsequences of being in-volved in another person’sdeath are grave. Fine saidhis patients often contem-plate suicide.
Recovery means havinga trauma victim make aconscious decision to keepgoing.
“It’s a long road, and Ican’t guarantee someonecan come back from that,”Fine said. “It’s not some-thing you can get over, butyou can get through it.”
[email protected]. [email protected].
An FHP photo shows driver Rickie Lee Maiorano after her car killed pedestrian Jeffrey Brian, who had a blood-alcohol levelof 0.20, on Universal Boulevard in 2011. Charged with misdemeanor DUI, in a plea deal she got 6 months of work release.
FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL
DRIVERSContinued from Page A1
County
Lake
Orange
Osceola
Seminole
Central Florida
6-year total
Pedestrian deaths: The number of pedestrians killed in car
crashes rose and fell during the past 6 years.
’07
8
40
7
7
62
’08
10
26
9
8
53
’09
3
32
5
5
45
’10
9
32
3
11
55
’11
11
28
14
15
68
’12
6
38
2
4
50
47
196
40
50
333
Rank/state2011 population
estimatePedestrian
deathsDeathsper 100,000
SHINIKO R. FLOYD/STAFF ARTIST
Deaths by state: FloridaisthemostdangerousstateinAmerica
forpedestrians.In2011,thelastyearforwhichnationaldataare
available,Floridasaw2.6pedestrianskilledforevery100,000state
residents.HereareAmerica’s10deadlieststatesforpedestrians:
SOURCES: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’sFatality Analysis Reporting System, Florida Department of HighwaySafety and Motor Vehicles, staff research
1. Florida
2. South Carolina
3. Arizona
4. Delaware
5. New Mexico
6. Louisiana
7. Maryland
8. Nevada
9. Hawaii
10. California
19.1M
4.7M
6.5M
907,135
2.1M
4.6M
5.8M
2.7M
1.4M
37.7M
490
113
147
18
41
88
102
46
23
625
2.6
2.4
2.3
2.0
2.0
1.9
1.8
1.7
1.7
1.7
Deaths locally and nationally
Sunday, July 7, 2013 Orlando Sentinel | News | A13
For adevelopmentallydisabledmanof 55,BobbyStout lived thegood life.
Hehad two jobs: onecleaning andanotherwash-ingdishes at aneighborhoodtavern.Heplayed inSpecialOlympics in three sportsyear-round.He lived inde-pendently in anapartment.Hewalkedor took thebusmost anywhereheneeded togo.
“Bobbywas amazing,”saidhis sisterPennyStout ofApopka.
Thatwas trueuntil a carskippeda curbonNorthGoldenrodRoadnearOr-landoand ranhimdownwhilehewalkedhomeshortly aftermidnight July 9, 2011.Thecar smackedStout offa sidewalk into aparking lot.He tumbledacross fourparkedcars—smashing thewindshieldof the first—anddied.
TheToyotadrivenbyNatalieT.Houle, now25, thenslammed into a light pole and rolled.Tests recordedherblood-alcohol level at 0.169 percent,more than twice the0.08legal limit.Herpassenger,Travis J.Main, now27, alsowaschargedbecausehe saidhegrabbed thewheel at the criticalmoment. In apleadeal for vehicularmanslaughter, eachgota year ofhouse arrest plus15 years’ probation.
At theThirstyGator tavernwhereheworked, everybodyknewStout’s name.Today, his photographhangson thewallas amemorial, betweenUniversity ofFloridaposters andbeer signs.
“Hewas averyhappyman.Veryhappy.Hehad somanyfriends.Hedidn’t have anenemy in theworld,” saidStout’smother, Lucille Stout ofApopka. “Wehadover 300people atthe funeral.”
BrotherBruceStout ofOviedo recalled the time thatBobby’s SpecialOlympics volleyball teamwasbadlydefeat-ing—shuttingout—a less-skilled teamofdisabled athletes.BruceStout saidhis brotherpulledhis teammates togetherandquietly urged themto let theother teamscore so itsplayerswouldnot gohomehumiliated.
“Iwas soproud,”he said.
ScottPowers
HIS GOOD LIFEIS CUT SHORT
Bobby Stout was killed July9, 2011, while walking on aGoldenrod Road sidewalk.
COURTESY OF PENNY STOUT
DUI crash claims Special Olympian in instant
Scott Powers and Arelis R. Hernández wrote the articles after analyzing government databases and law-enforcementand court reports on pedestrian-automobile crashes in Central Florida from 2007 through 2012. Photographs and videowere shot by George Skene. The series was edited by Lisa Cianci.
ABOUT THIS SERIES
Don’t leaveme. After theaccident, the then-17-year-oldalwaysneeded someone.Always.
Going to the store. I’mcoming.Runningnextdoor.Wait forme.CristynRochellewas tethered toherparents.
On thebrinkof adulthood,Cristyn regressed into child-hoodafter theJuly15, 2010, crash that killedpedestrianPat-rickLoftis, 55.
Shewanted todrawpicturesorplayvideogames—any-thing tokeep fromthinkingabout it.
“You’re goingback to a timewhen thingswereeasier,”Rochelle recalledher therapist tellingher, “when lifewasgoodandyourparents guardedyou.”
But theyweren’t there thatnight.Rochellewas a risinghigh-school senior in the throesof summerandyoung lovewhenshecameoff the Interstate 4exit rampontoOrangeBlossomTrail in theHonda sportutility vehicleher fatherhad just boughther.
“Iwill never forget thatnight,”Rochelle said.Loftiswas invisibleuntilRochellewas2 feet fromhitting
him.Thepopofbreakingglass and fallingpieces causedhertohyperventilate.
TheOrangeCountydeputy sheriff checkedLoftis,whowasalreadydead, andwalkedover to a screamingRochelle.Over andover, sheasked the teenagerwhathappened.
WhenRochelle learnedLoftis hadbeen intoxicated, it didlittle to easeher self-loathingquestions.
Could Ihavedone somethingdifferent? Should Ihave leftearlier or goneadifferentway?Whydid it happen tome?Will Iever forgivemyself?
Theburden, she said,was toomuch.Acting like a childseemed like theperfect shelter from it all.
A therapist andmaturityhelpedhermoveon. She iswork-ing full time for a transportationcompany to saveenough forcollege.
“I justwantpeople toknowhe’snot theonly victim in thissituation,”Rochelle said. “I amavictim—that’s still alive.”
ArelisR.Hernández
CRASH LEAVESGIRL CHANGEDTeen withdraws after accident kills pedestrian
Jeffrey Kerutis, a driver who accidentally killed a 92-year-old great-grandmother in May 2011, says he went throughstruggles afterward. Isabel Maria Pagan tried to cross a wide, busy road at midblock, and his SUV sideswiped her.
GEORGE SKENE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
In 2009, Matthew McAdams’ truck hit WinterPark High teen Kason Bailey on Aloma Avenue.
GEORGE SKENE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Blood in the Streets
