Car crash splits car in half

An early morning car crash Feb. 1 in Sarasota that left one car split in half killed a North Port man on impact and left a Bradenton man in critical condition.

The two cars were traveling east on Webber Street, just west of Leafy Lane, at 2:50 a.m. when a red Cadillac driven by Brayam Alfaro-Piliado, 16, of Bradenton drifted to the right and struck two mailboxes on the south shoulder of Webber Street. Alfaro-Piliado overcorrected too quickly after hitting the mailboxes, causing his Cadillac to rotate counter-clockwise, veer into a grassy median and strike an Oak tree before ending up back on Webber Street. The incident ejected Alfaro-Piladio from the car and has left him in critical condition.

That accident caused a Lincoln driven by James VanHorn. 28, of North Port to move sharply out of the way of the Cadillac, lose control of his car and strike the same Oak tree, which caused the Lincoln to split in half.

VanHorn was dead upon arrival by the Florida Highway Patrol and the accident left Alfaro-Piladio in critical condition at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

Both men were wearing seatbelts and alcohol was not considered a factor in the accidents. The Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating the incident and a media release reports charges are pending against Alfaro-Piladio.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].