Florida woman who killed 12-year-old Sophia Nelson in crosswalk crash gets just a $169 fine
An 83-year-old Florida woman will reportedly face no criminal charges after she struck and killed a 12-year-old girl with her car after failing to stop at a crosswalk two months ago.
Sophia Nelson was walking home from the beach with her grandfather and pet dog just days before Christmas when she came across a crosswalk on State Road A1A in Satellite Beach. Following traffic guidelines, she activated the flashing-yellow crosswalk lights to alert oncoming vehicles.
Her devastated father, Mark Nelson, recalled how his daughter waited for several cars to pass before stepping into the crosswalk during a gap before the next car. Despite the precaution, JoAnn Stanker did not stop her vehicle and fatally struck the teenager.
The sixth-grader, who attended Surfside Elementary School, was immediately rushed to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando. Despite the doctors' best efforts, Sophia passed away three days later. However, the 12-year-old's death was not in vain. She went on to save the lives of four other children by donating her organs.
The Satellite Police Department on Wednesday released a statement after a two-month investigation, saying that Stanker won't be facing any criminal charges in connection with Sophia's tragic death. According to the report, Stanker is a widowed mother of two and a grandmother.
"No criminal charges were filed because there was no evidence whatsoever that the driver was driving in a dangerous or reckless manner," the agency stated.
Instead, the 83-year-old Cape Canaveral resident was issued a citation for failure to stop at a crosswalk. While the moving traffic violation mandated a court appearance on March 17 owing to the fatality, Stanker was simply given a $169 fine and ordered to complete a driver’s license reexamination process.
"The investigation into this tragic case has concluded but we will continue to deeply mourn the loss of Sophia Nelson," Satellite Beach Police Chief Jeff Pearson said. "We remain committed to aggressively enforcing traffic safety laws to educate drivers and pedestrians and make our roads as safe as they can be."
Surveillance footage from the scene of the crash revealed that Stanker was almost 400 feet from the crosswalk stop bar when the warning lights were turned on by Sophia, police said. That meant the driver had enough time to react, slow down, and stop before the crosswalk, per evidence gathered by investigators.
But while Stanker's car can purportedly be seen braking and slowing down almost immediately after the lights were activated, she somehow failed to stop at the crosswalk.
She later told police she did not see Sophia at the crosswalk. Responding officers at the scene conducted a blood test on Stanker, which found she wasn't driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
That said, Mark and Jill Nelson, Sophia's parents, have urged state lawmakers to pass the Sophia Nelson Pedestrian Safety Act, which would require that "flashing pedestrian-activated lights be switched from yellow to red, or completely removed, on roads with more than two lanes or where the speed limit is higher than 35mph," according to Florida Today.
Mark Nelson testified before a Florida House committee last week. "She put trust in that button when she pushed it," he grimaced. "And she put trust in the yellow lights, that traffic would stop. And she put trust in that driver, that she had given the driver plenty of room to slow down and stop."
The committee cleared the bill last week and it's now headed to the House floor for a final vote.
The Nelsons, who believe crosswalks equipped with yellow flashing lights are not adequate for safety, now hope the law would help save other lives.