CAPE CORAL, Fla. -- Police say a speeding car crashed into a pool on 26th Place in Cape Coral just after midnight early Saturday morning, leaving one man dead and three others with serious injuries.
Steven Rineberg was home when the black RAV4 crashed into his roof and landed in his pool.
"They drove through the grass from way where that stop sign is straight to here," Rineberg said, pointing to 16th Street and 26th Place, then to his front yard.
Police say the car was speeding on WIlmington Pkwy near Chiquita Blvd when it drove through two front yards on 16th Place taking down mailboxes before crashing into a boat and then...
"...flipped off the boat then went on the roof," Rineberg said.
The impact from crashing into the boat made the car fly into the air, hit Rineberg's roof and finally land in the pool.
Everyone in the car was under 21 years old. The front passenger, 20-year-old Michael Alen Velez died and the three other males in the car have life-threatening injuries, including the driver. And while police haven't yet figured out the exact cause of this crash, neighbors say speeding is a continuous issue in the area.
Glass is still in front of the house from that car accident. Residents said that they’re traumatized to think someone died in their pool. I talked to someone who advocates every day for people to drive more safely.
"They’re all tragic. These fatalities are what we refer to as random acts and it basically comes down to the choice of the driver," said Jay Anderson, founder of Stay Alive, Just Drive.
Anderson says speeding is a leading cause for fatal car accidents...and warns drivers to consider how many people can be affected.
"It’s not just you. The minute you put passengers in your vehicle, you have that added responsibility, but then there’s everyone else around you," said Anderson. "Someone in that home could’ve been injured. They could’ve struck another home and injured people. I mean fortunately it only involved the people in the car themselves, but realistically it could’ve been more tragic."
Police say drugs or alcohol were not factors in this accident, but are still investigating the cause.
