APOPKA, Fla. \u2014 A driver and passenger died Saturday morning after their 2008 Honda Civic collided with a home on Hawthorne Avenue in South Apopka, triggering a fire that destroyed both the vehicle and the residence.<\/p>\n
The Florida Highway Patrol reported that the vehicle was traveling southbound above the posted speed limit when the driver lost control. The vehicle struck an electric pole, breaking it in two, then overturned and collided with a house at the corner of South Hawthorne Avenue and West Ella J. Gilmore Street. Speeding is believed to have contributed to the incident.<\/p>\n
The two occupants inside the home escaped without injury.<\/p>\n
Pastor Sabrina Jones, observing the crash from her front porch, remembered seeing a blue Honda Civic speeding by a few moments earlier. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat is so hurtful to see that. I can see it unfolding,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI heard this little car coming with the engine revved up. So I seen the blue Honda…. I mean it look like she was going 100. She was driving so angry. Some of the neighbors had to jump out of the way. I said she finna hit somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neighbors have long expressed concerns about hazardous speeding on Hawthorne Avenue, where vehicles often reach speeds of 75 to 80 mph. In 2020, a resident initiated a Change.org petition to address local traffic issues after a near-miss near her home; it garnered 130 signatures. <\/p>\n
Community members like Jones have repeatedly requested officials to conduct traffic studies or install speed bumps, but no action has been taken.<\/p>\n
The Florida Highway Patrol continues to investigate. The identities of the driver and passenger have not been released.<\/p>\n
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