Two people have died in car crashes on the same stretch of road in West Palm Beach within a week, according to police.
On Friday night, a 35-year-old man was killed after being hit by a Corvette while running across South Australian Avenue in between Worthington and Belvedere roads, according to West Palm Beach Police. Earlier that same week, a 51-year-old man was hit and killed by a Hummer that ran a red light at the intersection of South Australian Avenue and Belvedere Road.
James Christopher, the first victim, was not in the crosswalk when he crossed the six-lane road just before 11 p.m. Friday, police said in a news release. Upon impact, he hit the Corvette’s windshield and landed in the grassy median in the 2400 block of Australian Avenue, where he was pronounced dead.
The 25-year-old driver of the Corvette stopped a few hundred feet away. He and a 21-year-old woman riding with him were not injured but taken to Good Samaritan Medical Center as a precaution, the release states. Police are still investigating, though currently no substances are believed to be involved and no charges are pending.
Three days earlier, about 11 p.m. Tuesday, Charlie Gilbert was driving his Mustang south on Australian Avenue towards the intersection at Belvedere Road, where he had a green light, police said in another news release. As he approached, Susan Elman, 64, ran a red turn light and crashed her Hummer into the driver’s side of the Mustang. Gilbert was pronounced dead on scene, while West Palm Beach Fire Department paramedics took Elman to St. Mary’s Medical Center.
“Investigators suspect the driver of the Hummer was impaired, and the investigation is ongoing,” the release states. “Criminal charges are pending.”