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Portell, Jamie Christine, 15, of Davenport, FL passed away October 4,
2002 in Dundee, FL. Born in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. on March 23, 1987. She attended
Rickards Middle School in Oakland Park, FL and was a member of the cheerleading
squad, chorus, D.A.R.E., Dance, Drama Club, Gymnastics, an Honor Roll Student
and the National Jr. Honor Society. Formerly from Fairfax, VA, she moved to
Davenport six months ago. She was a tenth grade student at Haines City High
School in Haines City, FL and was a member of the Dance Team. She is survived by
her mother, Gloria Mazzurco and her husband, Mark of Oakland Park, FL;
half-brother, Mark Mazzurco, Jr. of Oakland Park, FL; father, James A. Portell
of Davenport, FL; maternal grandmother, Candida Martin; aunt, Barbara Martin
both of Hollywood, FL; paternal grandmother, Maria Portell of Lakeland, FL;
paternal grandfather, Enrique Portell of Dominican Republic. A funeral mass will
be celebrated on Wednesday, October 9, 2002 at 12:00 noon at Blessed Sacrament
Catholic Church 1701 E. Oakland Park Blvd. Oakland Park, FL. Interment will
follow at the HOLLYWOOD MEMORIAL GARDENS in Hollywood, FL. Arrangements by Oak
Ridge Funeral Care in Haines City, FL. (863) 422-3933. |
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Article in the Polk County Ledger
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Teen Dies, 4 Hurt in Car Crash
One of the injured teens was in serious condition; the others were stable.
By Margarita Martin-Hidalgo
The Ledger
margarita.martin-hidalgo@theledger.com
DUNDEE -- A Haines City High School junior was killed and four other teens were
injured when their car flipped on U.S. 27 in Dundee on the way home from a
Friday night trip to a shopping mall, police said.
One of the injured teens was in serious condition and the other three were
stable at hospitals in Lakeland and Orlando.
None of the five Haines City High students was wearing a seat belt and all were
thrown from the northbound sport utility vehicle near the Davidson of Dundee
Citrus Candy Factory, a police report said.
The 1995 Chevy Blazer rolled several times after the driver, Chelsey Terpenning,
lost control, Police Chief Bill Guess said.
Jamie Portel, 15, of Loughman, the front-seat passenger, was killed, the report
said.
"Unfortunately, the main cause of all this was that no one was wearing
their seat belt," said Dundee officer Ralph Marshall.
Marshall said Saturday afternoon that there was nothing to indicate alcohol was
involved in the crash.
"Everybody was upset, hurt, confused," said Dundee Mayor Joe Garrison,
a volunteer firefighter who went to the accident. "It was very emotional.
It was very, very sad."
Garrison commended the police officers and firefighters for their efforts in
what he called a difficult scene.
Terpenning, 16, the driver, was pinned underneath the driver's side of the car,
the report said.
Her brother, Lucas Terpenning, and the other back-seat passengers, Monica
Bardwell and Brooke Valentine were thrown into woods east of the road, police
said.
Chelsey Terpenning was flown to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, Marshall said,
and the hospital listed her in serious condition Saturday night.
Kelly Bock, their aunt, said the soccer player underwent surgery and had a
broken leg. The family, Bock said, was not doing well.
"I'm hanging in there," said Doug Terpenning, Chelsey's and Lucas'
father, who went to Lakeland Regional while the teens' mother was with their son
in Orlando.
Lucas Terpenning, 15, was flown to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Women and Children
in Orlando, and hospital spokeswoman Kim Neuman said he was in stable condition.
Bardwell, 15, was treated in the emergency room at Winter Haven Hospital for
minor injuries, her father said. She had abrasions on her upper body and a cut
on her forehead required stitches, John Bardwell said. Some of her ribs were
damaged but not broken.
"She is doing fine and resting all day," Bardwell, 45, said. "We
feel pretty good about her but are in pretty bad shape about the other girls and
the parents that were in the accident."
Valentine, 14, was also taken to Orlando's Arnold Palmer Hospital for Women and
Children, Marshall said. She was in stable condition.
Her father, Matthew Valentine, said Brooke, a junior varsity cheerleader at
Haines City High, had a broken shoulder and a chipped tooth.
Brooke Valentine, a niece of Dundee-based developer and council hopeful Chitram
"Blue" Sewnarine, had a sling on her right arm but said Saturday night
she was feeling better.
In a phone interview, she recalled Friday's events.
After window shopping for a prom dress at Eagle Ridge Mall, she and Bardwell
watched "Sweet Home Alabama" with Lucas Terpenning.
After the movie, the two girls called Bardwell's sister to pick them up but
couldn't reach her.
Lucas Terpenning, who was waiting for his sister, then offered to take them to
Bardwell's home, where she was going to spend the night, Valentine said.
As they were heading north on U.S. 27, Chelsey Terpenning turned around to look
behind her so she could switch lanes and lost control of the car, she said.
She swerved left, then right and "next thing I know, we were
flipping," Valentine said.
When she awoke, Valentine said, she felt as if she were in a dream and started
screaming because in her dream she was paralyzed.
Valentine, who was sitting behind Portel, said she was "pretty sure"
she would wear her seat belt at all times.
Marshall, the Dundee officer, said the accident was still under investigation.
Margarita Martin-Hidalgo can be reached at margarita.martin-hidalgo@theledger.com
or 863-294-4639. |
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