By Walter Pacheco
The Orlando Sentinel
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Three teenagers were hospitalized Tuesday after a traffic accident in east Orange County, troopers said.
Nanette Benítez, 18, and Raúl Otero, 17 — both of Orlando — were listed in critical condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center. The third victim, Randi Shaller, 18, of Orlando, is at ORMC and was listed in stable condition.
Sgt. Kim Miller of the Florida Highway Patrol described the accident scene at North Dean Road and Richardson Court as “horrific.”
Orange County firefighters used special hydraulic tools to remove two of the victims from the wreckage that shut down the intersection for several hours, according to rescue officials.
Trooper reports show that Benítez was driving her Mitsubishi pickup southbound on Dean Road when she tried to pass a Chevy pickup driven by Joseph Cantrell, 66, of Orlando.
As Benítez changed lanes, her truck clipped the front of Cantrell’s truck. The impact caused Cantrell’s truck to lose control and spin on the roadway. Cantrell’s truck swerved into the northbound lanes of Dean Road and struck Shaller’s Dodge pickup in a head-on collision. Cantrell was not hurt.
Otero, a student at University High School, was a passenger in Shaller’s truck, and troopers said he was not wearing a seat belt.
Records show that Benítez also was not wearing a seat belt.
“It couldn’t be avoided,” Miller said of the head-on collision.
A total of 25 Orange County firefighters were dispatched to the scene because of the severity of the injuries.
A release from Orange County Fire Rescue spokesman John Mulhall said firefighters treated the victims’ injuries while they were trapped in their vehicle.
Copyright 2008 Sentinel Communications Co.