On early Wednesday morning, August 21st, an 88-year-old Palm Harbor woman was out for her daily morning walk, just shortly after 7:30am. According to Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) officials, local resident Cruz Magdalenna Gallego was walking south on Sumner Lane toward the street’s intersection with Sumner Way in the Lake Tarpon community.
As Gallego approached, a 2010 Hyundai Veracruz was headed east on Sumner Way. The driver of the Hyundai made a left-hand turn onto Sumner Lane and struck Gallego. According to reports, the driver of the SUV, 60-year-old Kenneth Allen Ramsdell, also of Palm Harbor, did not see Gallego walking in the road.
Gallego was rushed by an ambulance to Bayonet Point Regional Medical Center. She remained in critical condition for several hours, but later succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead around 7:00pm that evening.
Alcohol use or other impairment is not initially suspected in the crash. No information has been released regarding any charges being filed up to this point. Any potential charges may be pending the results of further investigation into the accident. Neither Ramsdell nor Gallego’s family members have issued any public statements.
In the US, pedestrian fatalities increased each year 2008 to 2011, according to the NHTSA. From 2000 through 2009, Florida led the US as the most dangerous state for pedestrians, with nearly 47,700 reported pedestrian deaths over the ten year period. FL DOT officials have been working alongside the NHTSA to spread pedestrian safety awareness in hopes of decreasing both of these statistics.
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