Paige
06-16-03, 05:04 AM
I'm posting the full article from my local paper because if I were to post the URL you would only be able to access it by registering first.
Victims want driver's license revoked
In the past three years, 76-year-old Paul Miles Harllee has been cited in three serious traffic accidents, including one a year ago in which he killed an elderly lady, and another last April in which he collided with eight cars and a truck.
Yet, his fines have never exceeded $500 and his license is still valid. In fact, it doesn't expire until 2007.
Two of the people victimized recently realized they, or a family member, had been struck by the same driver. Now, they want to know why Harllee's license hasn't been revoked.
"I think it's abominable," said Debbi Barrows, 59. "When he was involved in an accident in a death and another accident involving (at least) six cars -- and he's still driving?"
Barrow's mother, Dorothy Davis, 85, was killed after Harllee hit her broadside June 18, 2002, at U.S. 41 and Port Charlotte Boulevard.
Barrow has been lobbying local lawmakers to change state laws to automatically revoke or suspend driver licenses of those at fault in fatal wrecks, and increase the fines.
Florida Highway Patrol officers can check a box on a crash report to order drivers to get medical or eyesight evaluations. That didn't happen in Harllee's wrecks. But the patrolmen say it's not their fault.
"When I talked to (Harllee), he seemed okay," said FHP Trooper Mike Hetteberg, who investigated Harllee's most recent wreck April 15. "All I can do is assess the situation at the time. He could tell me everything about his life and work and what happened in the wreck."
FHP homicide investigator Spencer Ross said he has filed hundreds of requests for motorists to get evaluated. Often, the motorists' doctors clear them to continue driving, he said.
"This is Florida, this is America, this is freedom," Ross said. "You have to have a reason (to revoke a license)."
Troopers also point out that county judges and the motorists' personal physicians can also call for driver evaluations.
In fact, anyone -- a neighbor, family member or anybody else -- is authorized to report a motorist who should not be allowed to drive.
The Florida Division of Driver Licenses provides a form that anyone can fill out. The form can trigger a notice requiring the motorist to be evaluated.
Neither Barrows nor John Guarino, whose car was one of the nine vehicles hit by Harllee on April 15, were aware that anyone could fill out that form.
Both say they pleaded with FHP troopers or other state officials to revoke Harllee's license.
Barrows said a trooper promised to recommend to the county judge that Harllee's license be revoked at his court hearing.
"(The trooper) told me he was going to make a recommendation to the court," Barrows said. "But he never said anything. He went into court and he said nothing."
Attempts to reach Harllee by phone or at his Charlotte Harbor residence for comment were unsuccessful this week.
Harllee's traffic record shows three crashes in Charlotte County. They include:
* Oct. 19, 2000. Harllee drove his 1992 Mercury through the intersection of Olympia Avenue and U.S. 41 in Punta Gorda and collided with a 1999 GMC, causing $750 in damage. Harllee drove off, but returned and acted like he didn't know he was involved in the crash, according to a crash report.
He was cited for careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. He paid a $168 fine and adjudication was withheld.
* June 18, 2002. Harllee was southbound on U.S. 41 when his car veered off to the right and hit Davis' car broadside. Davis' car was poised to turn right onto 41 from Port Charlotte Boulevard at the time.
Davis was hospitalized for two weeks before she succumbed.
Harllee initially was fined $83 for failure to stay in his lane. He sent a check to the traffic clerk but the check was returned because a state law requires defendants in fatal wrecks to appear in court.
A county judge fined him the maximum, $500.
* April 15, 2003. Harllee was again southbound on U.S. 41 when he collided with eight cars and a truck that were stopped at a red light at West Tarpon Boulevard. He was fined $86 for careless driving.
Guarino said that wreck caused $15,000 in damage to his 2001 Saab.
"He never hit the breaks," recalled Guarino. "He just slowed himself down by hitting all these other cars."
Guarino, a local surgeon, said he rushed to see if anyone was injured. When he got to Harllee's car, he knocked on the window several times.
Harllee didn't respond. He was "too busy trying to restart his car," which had a collapsed front end and one wheel torn off, according to Guarino.
He recalled that Harllee told the trooper, "It happened so fast, all I know is all these cars started hitting me."
Hetteberg, however, said Harllee told him he was watching a car to his left and didn't notice that the other cars ahead of him had come to a stop.
Guarino has written a letter to Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles calling for Harllee's license to be revoked.
"I just want to get this guy off the street," he said.
Barrows said she encountered Harllee at his court hearing in the death of her mother.
"I asked him to go into the courthouse and relinquish his license before he does this to someone else," Barrows recalled. "He said to me, 'I can't do that. I have to get to work.' "
Barrows recently wrote a letter to area lawmakers calling for legislation. She wants motorists who cause a death to be charged with vehicular homicide. She also called for their licenses to be automatically suspended for up to two years.
Barrows also called for public transportation to be improved to allow residents to get around without driving.
She called Charlotte County's Dial-a-Ride bus service "a joke." People have to make reservations 24 hours in advance and sometimes wait three hours for a return ride, she said.
Florida House Speaker Pro Tempore Lindsay Harrington, R-Punta Gorda, is sympathetic to victims' concerns. Harrington sponsored a bill last spring to beef up fines for accidents involving serious injuries or deaths.
The fines would be increased to a maximum of $1,500, court hearings would be mandatory and licenses would automatically be suspended up to one year, under Harrington's bill.
"There have been accidents in which people even died, and the judge didn't revoke the license or even give the driver a fine," Harrington said.
"Drivers have got to understand; there is a penalty," he added. "Driving is not a right, it's a privilege."
But his bill didn't pass. Fellow House members considered it "a tax increase," and tax increases were considered taboo this year.
Harrington said he hopes to revive the bill again next year.
To report a driver
Anyone can report a driver who may not be medically able to drive. The Florida Division of Driver Licenses provides a form that calls for various physical or mental handicaps to be checked. They include:
* Seizures
* Stroke
* Loss of consciousness
* Uncontrolled diabetes
* Psychiatric disturbance
* Dementia or memory loss
* Severe cardiac conditions
* Drug or alcohol addiction
* Severe visual problems
To obtain the form from the Internet, go to www.hsmv.state.fl.us/html/forms.html
By GREG MARTIN
Staff Writer
Victims want driver's license revoked
In the past three years, 76-year-old Paul Miles Harllee has been cited in three serious traffic accidents, including one a year ago in which he killed an elderly lady, and another last April in which he collided with eight cars and a truck.
Yet, his fines have never exceeded $500 and his license is still valid. In fact, it doesn't expire until 2007.
Two of the people victimized recently realized they, or a family member, had been struck by the same driver. Now, they want to know why Harllee's license hasn't been revoked.
"I think it's abominable," said Debbi Barrows, 59. "When he was involved in an accident in a death and another accident involving (at least) six cars -- and he's still driving?"
Barrow's mother, Dorothy Davis, 85, was killed after Harllee hit her broadside June 18, 2002, at U.S. 41 and Port Charlotte Boulevard.
Barrow has been lobbying local lawmakers to change state laws to automatically revoke or suspend driver licenses of those at fault in fatal wrecks, and increase the fines.
Florida Highway Patrol officers can check a box on a crash report to order drivers to get medical or eyesight evaluations. That didn't happen in Harllee's wrecks. But the patrolmen say it's not their fault.
"When I talked to (Harllee), he seemed okay," said FHP Trooper Mike Hetteberg, who investigated Harllee's most recent wreck April 15. "All I can do is assess the situation at the time. He could tell me everything about his life and work and what happened in the wreck."
FHP homicide investigator Spencer Ross said he has filed hundreds of requests for motorists to get evaluated. Often, the motorists' doctors clear them to continue driving, he said.
"This is Florida, this is America, this is freedom," Ross said. "You have to have a reason (to revoke a license)."
Troopers also point out that county judges and the motorists' personal physicians can also call for driver evaluations.
In fact, anyone -- a neighbor, family member or anybody else -- is authorized to report a motorist who should not be allowed to drive.
The Florida Division of Driver Licenses provides a form that anyone can fill out. The form can trigger a notice requiring the motorist to be evaluated.
Neither Barrows nor John Guarino, whose car was one of the nine vehicles hit by Harllee on April 15, were aware that anyone could fill out that form.
Both say they pleaded with FHP troopers or other state officials to revoke Harllee's license.
Barrows said a trooper promised to recommend to the county judge that Harllee's license be revoked at his court hearing.
"(The trooper) told me he was going to make a recommendation to the court," Barrows said. "But he never said anything. He went into court and he said nothing."
Attempts to reach Harllee by phone or at his Charlotte Harbor residence for comment were unsuccessful this week.
Harllee's traffic record shows three crashes in Charlotte County. They include:
* Oct. 19, 2000. Harllee drove his 1992 Mercury through the intersection of Olympia Avenue and U.S. 41 in Punta Gorda and collided with a 1999 GMC, causing $750 in damage. Harllee drove off, but returned and acted like he didn't know he was involved in the crash, according to a crash report.
He was cited for careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. He paid a $168 fine and adjudication was withheld.
* June 18, 2002. Harllee was southbound on U.S. 41 when his car veered off to the right and hit Davis' car broadside. Davis' car was poised to turn right onto 41 from Port Charlotte Boulevard at the time.
Davis was hospitalized for two weeks before she succumbed.
Harllee initially was fined $83 for failure to stay in his lane. He sent a check to the traffic clerk but the check was returned because a state law requires defendants in fatal wrecks to appear in court.
A county judge fined him the maximum, $500.
* April 15, 2003. Harllee was again southbound on U.S. 41 when he collided with eight cars and a truck that were stopped at a red light at West Tarpon Boulevard. He was fined $86 for careless driving.
Guarino said that wreck caused $15,000 in damage to his 2001 Saab.
"He never hit the breaks," recalled Guarino. "He just slowed himself down by hitting all these other cars."
Guarino, a local surgeon, said he rushed to see if anyone was injured. When he got to Harllee's car, he knocked on the window several times.
Harllee didn't respond. He was "too busy trying to restart his car," which had a collapsed front end and one wheel torn off, according to Guarino.
He recalled that Harllee told the trooper, "It happened so fast, all I know is all these cars started hitting me."
Hetteberg, however, said Harllee told him he was watching a car to his left and didn't notice that the other cars ahead of him had come to a stop.
Guarino has written a letter to Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles calling for Harllee's license to be revoked.
"I just want to get this guy off the street," he said.
Barrows said she encountered Harllee at his court hearing in the death of her mother.
"I asked him to go into the courthouse and relinquish his license before he does this to someone else," Barrows recalled. "He said to me, 'I can't do that. I have to get to work.' "
Barrows recently wrote a letter to area lawmakers calling for legislation. She wants motorists who cause a death to be charged with vehicular homicide. She also called for their licenses to be automatically suspended for up to two years.
Barrows also called for public transportation to be improved to allow residents to get around without driving.
She called Charlotte County's Dial-a-Ride bus service "a joke." People have to make reservations 24 hours in advance and sometimes wait three hours for a return ride, she said.
Florida House Speaker Pro Tempore Lindsay Harrington, R-Punta Gorda, is sympathetic to victims' concerns. Harrington sponsored a bill last spring to beef up fines for accidents involving serious injuries or deaths.
The fines would be increased to a maximum of $1,500, court hearings would be mandatory and licenses would automatically be suspended up to one year, under Harrington's bill.
"There have been accidents in which people even died, and the judge didn't revoke the license or even give the driver a fine," Harrington said.
"Drivers have got to understand; there is a penalty," he added. "Driving is not a right, it's a privilege."
But his bill didn't pass. Fellow House members considered it "a tax increase," and tax increases were considered taboo this year.
Harrington said he hopes to revive the bill again next year.
To report a driver
Anyone can report a driver who may not be medically able to drive. The Florida Division of Driver Licenses provides a form that calls for various physical or mental handicaps to be checked. They include:
* Seizures
* Stroke
* Loss of consciousness
* Uncontrolled diabetes
* Psychiatric disturbance
* Dementia or memory loss
* Severe cardiac conditions
* Drug or alcohol addiction
* Severe visual problems
To obtain the form from the Internet, go to www.hsmv.state.fl.us/html/forms.html
By GREG MARTIN
Staff Writer