One Dead in Fatal Tampa Rollover Car Accident

On Tuesday, March 18th, a woman from Tampa was pronounced dead following a violent rollover car accident that took place on Falkenburg Road in Brandon in the morning hours. The single-vehicle traffic accident unfolded at Falkenburg Road and Windhorst Road right around 5:30 a.m., in front of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, according to sheriff’s deputies.

Hillsborough deputies say 31-year-old Desiree R. Cruz was driving her 1997 Dodge Caravan travelling close to 50 mph and heading northbound on Falkenburg Road. Suddenly, for reasons unknown, Cruz struck an 8-inch raised median with her vehicle and then lost control. The Dodge minivan rolled onto its roof after first striking the Tax Collector’s Office sign, approximately 200 feet north of the intersection, deputies noted. Cruz was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders, according to the deputies’ accident report.

Northbound Falkenburg Road was shut down just north of Windhorst Road during the investigation, deputies say.

US Rollover Car Accident Statistics

• Rollover car accidents are extremely dangerous – fatalities result in 50% of rollover crashes and the likelihood for other catastrophic injuries is extremely high
• Approximately 28,000 rollover car accidents occur in the US each year
• 80% of vehicle occupants killed in rollover accidents were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash
• 55% of all single car crashes consist of rollover accidents
• 75% of all rollover car accidents involve SUVs, minivans, or pick-up trucks

References:

The Tampa Tribune