Roads-Traffic – Page 3 – West Boca News

Update on Dead Body in Park: Photos & Video

WARNING: Some of the photos may be unpleasant or offensive to some readers.

SO – DO NOT READ THIS
IF YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE OFFENDED OR DISTURBED.

Photo copyright Warren Redlich © 2016. — All photos copyright Warren Redlich © 2016 unless otherwise noted; other media may use free by crediting West Boca News or @WestBocaNews.

The Yamato Road entrance to South County Regional Park was effectively closed Wednesday around noon for over an hour after a dead body was found. Sheriff’s deputies and investigators surrounded the area with crime scene tape.

Many people are asking – We do not know the name of the victim and we do not expect PBSO to tell us.

The body was found on the east side of the road in front of a black car. You can see detectives near the body on the right side of the photo below.

The next photo shows the scene before the minivan arrived. The body was in front of the black sedan which we believe was his car.

At the time we were first notified about the incident, we did not know what the cause of death was. We arrived on the scene and notified the public of the situation by posting this video on our Facebook page:

Later we learned that the investigators determined it was a suicide. We do not normally report on suicides, but when it blocks a road or otherwise creates a scene and disturbance in the general public, we feel it is our duty to follow up and inform our readers as to what happened.

Body was found where the red pin is marked on the map, just north of the ball field, south of Yamato Road, and not far from Sunrise Park Elementary. Image and map data by Google.

We also had an unpleasant encounter with Detective Amanda Pfeifle who did not like us taking pictures. She abused her power, expanding the crime scene tape to interfere with journalism. It didn’t work.

For the commenters who claim I was interfering with the investigation, that’s nonsense. I was far away, staying out of the way, taking pictures. They did absolutely ZERO investigation inside the area of the expanded crime scene after they moved me. I was on the scene until they starting taking the tape down. Detective Pfeifle did this only to interfere with a journalist. They had no reason to stop doing their jobs to bother me. Police abuse of journalists is a longstanding problem in the US, documented extensively by Photography is Not a Crime.

After a subsequent and somewhat more polite request from Detective Brian Allison, we held off on publishing this article for 24 hours to allow next of kin to be notified.
Now at this point, we must remind you again:

WARNING
The photos below may be particularly disturbing or offensive to some. If you think that might be you, stop now. Do not read any further.

PBSO investigators and other staff working on the scene, with the body on the ground beyond them.

The body was removed by staff in the minivan mentioned earlier.

It gets worse. Again, do not scroll down if these might bother or offend you. We have blurred certain features.

The body was in front of what appears to be a fairly new black sedan, possibly an Infiniti Q50. Update – A reader tells us it is a first generation Hyundai Genesis (years 2009-2014).

And these are closer shots showing the body.

And the following photos were sent to us by Juliette Falcone, who was on the scene before we were.

April Accident Turns Fatal – 441 at Stonebridge

US-441 looking north with Stonebridge on the left and The Oaks on the right; image by Google

In mid-April we reported about a serious accident on 441 at the entrance to Stonebridge Country Club.

•••WEST BOCA RATON•••
TRAFFIC ACCIDENT
US Hwy 441/Stonebridge Country Club
PBCFR Station-54 is onscene of a head-on collision, heavy damage, 2 occupants unconscious trapped, extrication is underway, 3 Rescue units requested, 2 ground Trauma Alerts to Delray Medical Center

This morning we learned that the driver of one of the cars passed away on Friday in hospice. Phyllis Panzer, age 88, owned a house in Stonebridge for 15 years.
At the time of the accident the Sheriff’s office described the accident (early evening of April 19th) as follows:

V-1 (Panzer) was traveling northbound on U.S. 441 and was attempting to turn left to head westbound on Stonebridge Country Club Boulevard. V-2 was traveling southbound on U.S. 441 and as it reached Stonebridge Country Club Boulevard, V-1 turned left into its path.
D-2 attempted evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision, but violently struck the front passenger side wheel of V-1 with its front end.
D-1 (Panzer) and O-1 were transported to Delray Medical Center for serious injuries and remain in critical condition. D-2 was also transported to Delray Medical Center but for minor injuries.

Panzer’s passenger, Michael Weitzmann (91), is also a resident of Stonebridge. He suffered critical injuries. We do not have any update on his status.
The police report indicates that Panzer and Weitzmann were not wearing seatbelts. The other driver, Jeffrey Young (59) of Lake Worth, was belted and suffered only minor injuries.

Jim Thompson (53) Killed in Car Wreck on SW 3rd at Lyons

Friends and family are mourning the loss of James Patrick Thompson. Mr. Thompson passed away in a car accident Saturday night at the intersection of SW 3rd and Lyons Road.
The crash report, prepared by Investigator Loudermilk of PBSO, indicated that Thompson was headed eastbound on Southwest 3rd street, approaching Lyons Road in the right turn lane approaching the intersection with Lyons.

A witness indicated “a high rate of speed and at least one flat tire, possibly two.” Thompson lost control of the vehicle, traveled through the intersection, and “violently collided with a traffic signal pole, and palm tree on the northeast corner of Lyons Road.”
Two readers sent us photos of the scene.

Next of kin were notified and we noticed many friends and family mourning their loss.

West Boca News sends our best wishes in this difficult time to all of them.

Rollover Accident: Photos & Video

The eastbound lanes of Palmetto Park Road were closed this afternoon between Shorewind Drive (Boca Winds) and Riverside, about 2 miles west of US-441. The closure resulted from a two-car accident where one vehicle, a new Kia Optima, rolled over and an older Lincoln Town Car ended up in the median.

We talked to a few people at the scene, though none saw the accident happen. As best we understand it the Town Car, with an elderly driver, was coming out of Boca Winds making a right turn onto Palmetto. The Optima driven by a West Boca High School student, was traveling straight and was unable to avoid the Town Car. Some suspect the Optima was speeding but we suspect that may not be accurate.

While the Optima did roll, it did not travel very far from the point of collision, the vehicles did not appear to have dramatic damage (other than from the rollover), and we’re told the injuries were not critical.

From a legal perspective the general rule is that the vehicle traveling straight (the Optima) has right of way and primary responsibility for the accident falls on the vehicle turning (the Town Car). There did not appear to be any obstruction interfering with the drivers’ ability to see each other.

Eventually a tow operator was able to roll the Optima back to right-side up. We caught most of that operation on video, and here’s a short version of that:

Sheriff’s investigators then looked inside the car before it was taken away. If you ever find yourself involved in a car accident, it is crucial that you seek legal advice.

Major Accident in Delray: West Boca Tesla Driver Involved

Shortly before 10:30 pm on Friday night there was a fatal accident on Linton Blvd at its intersection with Jog Road. Four vehicles and a pedestrian were involved. One of the drivers and the pedestrian were both killed. One of our readers shared this video of the scene:

According to Investigator Fazzino of the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, a BMW convertible driven by Alan Ziperstein (age 72) was driving the wrong way on Linton, eastbound in the westbound lanes. Ziperstein, a resident of the Addison Reserve community, collided with a Jaguar driven by Victor Goo (60) of Kings Point, a Tesla driven by Arthur Sezman (76) of St. Andrews Country Club (West Boca), and a Hyundai driven by Gloria Sheehan (82), also of Kings Point.
After hitting the three vehicles, Ziperstein’s BMW continued on, striking pedestrian San Miquel Ramiro (52) of Boynton Beach, and then rolled over.
Sadly, Ziperstein was pronounced dead at the scene and Ramiro passed away at Delray Medical Center. Mr. Goo suffered critical injuries and was also taken to Delray Medical Center. Sezman and Sheehan suffered minor injuries.
We received four photos from readers at the scene:

It was unclear from the accident report as to why Ziperstein was traveling in the wrong direction and we may never know.