Investigation into crash that kills woman lingers

A woman who worked at the Longboat Key Quik-N-EZ Mart, 4030 Gulf of Mexico Drive, died last week from injuries sustained Aug. 7, when a car with mechanical failures pinned her up against the wall of the convenience store.

Karen Porter, the assistant manager on duty that night at the convenience store, was struck by a pickup truck while standing in front of the building at 8:05 p.m. Aug. 7, while she was taking a break because no customers were in the store.

The driver of the truck couldn’t stop due to a mechanical failure, and no charges have been filed against the driver at this time, other than a civil traffic ticket.

The investigation, however, is still ongoing and is being handled by the Sarasota Police Department Homicide Unit, even though the incident is being labeled as a traffic fatality and not a homicide.

Porter, who was awake after the accident and even tried to get up after the crash, died Aug. 14 at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton from multiple injuries that included a collapsed lung.

For more information on the incident and the investigation, pick up a copy of this week’s Longboat Observer.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].