Deputies Investigate Fatal Apollo Beach Accident

One person has died and two more are in the hospital after a car hit a utility pole on Apollo Beach Boulevard about 7 p.m. this evening west of Fairway Boulevard. via Tampa Bay Online

[jason]

the driver of the car a 17 year old kid driving drunk and in a sports car kills my friend i hope he gets 20 years and his parents get 10 for giving him the car sam was only 32 RIP

[Bob]

Such a shame... many lives have been affected by this tragedy.

[April]

A mother and father should never have to bury their child. Sammy was always full of life. Would do anything for anyone. I will miss his hugs and kisses he was always ready to give when I walked in or out of the hockey rink. He will be sadley missed.

[Apollo Beach]

Rest in peace Sam. You were such an amazing person and a true friend to all. You will be missed. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family and friends always!

[Kim]

Sam was an wonderful person and the sweetest guy I have ever known. He would do anything for anyone and he never thought twice about it. Our lives will be better for knowing him. There will be a piece of hearts missing forever without Sam. The tragedy is that we have lost our dear friend, his parents and sister have lost their son, and his soulmate will not have the chance to marry him. This senseless tragedy is all because a 17 year old with a fast car decided to drink and drive 3x the speed limit. So many lives have been shattered because of his poor judgement and lack of supervision.

[Brian]

Everyone who knew Sam I'm sure is already missing him. I know I do, and will always remember him. I can't express in words at how saddened, shocked and angry I am that this happened.

[TJD]

the driver was my friend and although he is at fault here rember he is 17 and not only now has to face a felony charge but is in ICU. i have never met this sam but i sure he was a good person i believe it was a tragedy altogether

[TPA]

I think what everyone needs to remember is that this entire thing was an ACCIDENT. I'm sure the 17-year old didn't mean to hurt someone, let alone take a life. Everyone makes mistakes and I am sure that most people have done something that could have endangered someone else at least once. My prayers also go out to Sam's family. One of my mom's closest friend died last year in a car accident leaving her husband and her two young kids. I was angry for what happened because the person who hit her car was a young person who lost control of the car because she passed out while driving. We all have to realize though, that accidents happen whether we want to or not. I also think that the emotional and mental effects of knowing that you have taken someone's life is worse than being charged for anything... so as much as there is so much anger surrounding this, remember that wishing jail time for someone won't change what happened.

[Colton]

David and Logan were acquaintances of mine.
And now David is in the hospital, and he cant even remember what happened, and he cant remember his brother. I understand how bad Sam's family must feel. And i can understand how bad David would feel if he only knew.

[K from Apollo Beach]

I am a mom of a 17 year old and cannot imagine what the driver's family is going through right now. I also cannot imagine what Sam's family is going through. One accident affecting many good people and changing their lives forever. A 17 year old that should be celebrating Spring Break,Prom,Graduation,preparin g for college. A 32 year old that should be preparing for his wedding and growing old with her. Now all that is left of 5 minutes of bad judgement, is tears...

[Erin]

Sam was such a warm and cheerful person. He will be trully missed. I do feel for the other driver, but he made a bad decision and now he must face the consequences of those decisions. Although there are tears on both sides, only two of the three are still breathing. I know that the other driver didn't intentionally kill Sam, but he made a bad choice and now he needs to pay for them. Only then will he trully understand the severity of his poor decision.

[Father Robert]

I don't know any of the people involved but my sister killed her fiance' 20 years ago because she got drunk and drove. She understood the severity of her poor decision just as I assume David will understand as well. He made a poor choice and believe me, he will "pay" his entire life. If he goes to jail, that will be the easy part... My sister has never been the same. It sounds as though some of you are looking for vengence. Time heals vengence. May it heal yours.

[sarh]

i dont know any of the people that were in this fatal accident but i do know that i my self am only 16 years old and i think the 17 year old boy should have known better than to be driving drunk. i know he still has a life he should live but i think he should be punished to the maximum because of his actions.he killed an innocent man because he wanted to get drunk and be unresponsible and try to drive and over the speed limit at that.i am sorry for this man sams family and i hope well for you all.for the other two boys...i dont know what to say because they both should have known better..

[Tracy]

Sam was my friend. Sam was true blue and full of life and irreplaceable. I miss him so much and I just don't understand why someone would be driving drunk, going 92 mph and think that nothing bad would happen. Where is the common sense in people nowadays? Where were this kids parents? Who was giving a 17 year old alcohol? Apollo Beach Blvd. is not a drag strip. If you want to race so badly, go to a racetrack where innocent people won't be murdered. Rest in Peace my friend. We miss you so much!

[Martin]

Has anyone been charged in this accident?

[Curious]

Does anyone know where the driver was coming from?
I live next to the Andalucia and people speed out of there constantly and turn onto Apollo Beach Blvd going way too fast. It's been impossible to get the cops to monitor that street.

[A friend forever to Sam]

The were coming from Surfside Boulevard heading east on Apollo Beach Blvd. They came around the curb and lost control and slammed right into Sam as he was sitting in the driveway of Circles waiting to turn. The driver was drunk and was speeding at 90+ miles per hour. He is being charged and hopefully he will spend a good amount of time in prison and the rest of his life realizing that he took another person's life. That is his burden to bear because of the decisions he made that day. Everyone has to pay for that. We have lost our sweet friend and those boys have screwed up their lives, their parents lives, and most importantly Sam's family.

[Sunshine]

Yes, WHERE WERE THOSE KID'S PARENTS???? And how did they get the alcohol? Great job of raising the kids, huh?
Buy 'em a fast car; don't supervise 'em or teach 'em manners, morals, or responsibility; turn 'em loose on those of us who follow the rules. Very sad, especially for Sam and his family and friends.

........and still folks continue to speed on Apollo Beach Blvd, and surrounding residential streets. Please have consideration for others.

[Martin]

Does anyone know if anyone has been charged?

[Tracy]

Martin wrote:

Does anyone know if anyone has been charged?

Not yet, but they are probably waiting until the driver is released from the hospital.