St Augustine crash victim still reported alive

At 10:20 a.m. this morning, Articia Burrell, an Administrative Assistant whose office in Jacksonville manages all interactions with local, state and national media, called in to Historic City News and confirmed that, at this time, Chelsea Marie Wantz remains in critical condition at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center located at 655 West 8th Street.

In the Florida Highway Patrol report of the car-vs-scooter crash, the Homicide Investigator indicated that two passengers in the Ford Taurus that struck Wantz, received only minor injuries. The 20-year-old Wantz, was riding a 2011 Bash scooter, and was thrown from her vehicle; landing in the roadway.

The crash occurred at about 3:25 AM Saturday morning. At 5:12 AM Sunday morning, the Florida Highway Patrol reported that Wantz’s injuries were fatal and that she “expired 10/13/2012”.

When we called the hospital yesterday we were told that Chelsea was still alive, and this morning the hospital re-confirms her condition; saying that her vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits. The patient may be unconscious and she is in critical condition. Her medical indicators are unfavorable.

An update at The St Augustine Record posted by editor Pete Ellis at 9:23 am this morning, says that the newspaper is being criticized on their website and on Facebook over the accuracy of this story. He goes on to say that FHP was sticking with the Sunday press release, which said Wantz was dead. The FHP spokesman said that a physician told them that she died Saturday night at about 7 p.m.