Two people hospitalized after being struck by vehicle on San Carlos Boulevard
Two contractors in a work zone on San Carlos Boulevard off island on Fort Myers Beach were struck by a vehicle near Siesta Drive at the bend between the Fort Myers Beach fire station and Pincher’s this afternoon.
Fort Myers Beach Fire Chief Scott Wirth said the two individuals were working in the road in a work zone when the vehicle hit them at approximately 1 p.m. The vehicle was traveling away from Fort Myers Beach toward Fort Myers when it struck two people. Both individuals and the vehicle ended up in mangroves off the road. “The car hit two people and threw them into the mangroves,” Wirth said. “The car finished in the mangroves.”
The two individuals struck by the vehicle were rescued by Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District firefighters who cut through the mangroves to reach them. They were transported by Lee County EMS to Gulf Coast Medical Center with serious traumatic injuries. Wirth said a trauma alert was issued for the incident, the highest level of trauma for an emergency responder alert.
After Fort Myers Beach firefighters reached the individuals, they assisted Lee County EMS in stabilizing them and getting them into an ambulance. Lee County EMS workers treated the individuals on the scene for the traumatic injuries after arriving quickly to the scene.
The driver was evaluated and refused treatment, Wirth said.
Janella Newsome, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Transportation, said the two individuals were quality control testers, contracted by the Florida Department of Transportation who were testing concrete in the road.
“Both were taken to a local hospital and are listed in stable condition,” Newsome said.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident.
Fort Myers Beach Observer Editor Nathan Mayberg can be reached by email at NMayberg@breezenewspapers.com and by phone at 239-574-1110 Ext. 176.
To reach Nathan Mayberg, please email nmayberg@breezenewspapers.com