TITUSVILLE, Fla. — Investigators of a crash that killed four people leaving Kennedy Space Center on Monday night think the car's GPS called for a U-turn moments before their vehicle was struck.
- 4 people killed in 'tragic accident' in Titusville
- Police: 2 men, 2 women from UK were at KSC for rocket launch
- They were headed back to rental home in Davenport, investigators say
The deadly crash happened on Columbia Boulevard near Sisson Road at about 6:30 p.m. Monday, just a couple of hours after a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Titusville Police said the four people, who they think had just left KSC after the launch, were headed back to their rental home in Davenport, about 70 miles away, in a rented four-door Mitsubishi sedan.
All four who were killed were from the United Kingdom. Police said the driver attempted to make a U-turn on Columbia Boulevard and drove into the path of an oncoming Ford F-250 pickup truck. Investigators said there was an earlier crash on State Road 407 — the original GPS route from KSC to Davenport.
The drivers’ brother, who was staying at the Davenport rental home, was notified by the Polk County Sheriff's Office after Titusville Police were able to retrace the families route through the GPS of the rented Sedan.
The car was struck in between its front and back doors. The Jaws of Life had to be used to remove the bodies of the four people killed in a crash, police said.
Investigators said it appeared the people died instantly. They were:
- Adam P. Stephenson, 30, who was driving
- Maryanne Stephenson, 29
- Brian Stephenson, 66
- Sheralyn T. Stephenson, 56.
All were from Bristol, England.
"All of our first responders, their first priority when they arrive at these scenes, is to sustain life. And this was a really tough scene for them, because they weren’t able to save four people," Deputy Chief Todd Hutchinson said.
Amy Arndt of Titusville lives in the area and saw the crash hours afterward.
"The driver's door was open, and the other side was completely smashed, almost all the way to the driver's side. I was nauseated and sad," Arndt said.
Residents believe the shrub in the median creates a blind spot, making it very unsafe to make left turns and U-turns.
Titusville resident Daniel Pollard works at the pizza shop at the intersection and says he’s had a few close calls because of the shrub is too high.
“Unless you’re in a truck high off the ground you’re not going to be able to see,” Pollard said.
Police say if they determine the median vegetation is a road hazard, they will give the state a safety recommendation.
The driver of the pickup truck, James D. Walsh II, 28, of Port St. John, was taken to a hospital as a precaution to check for injuries. He is expected to be okay.
An investigation is underway, but authorities believe Walsh is not at fault.
"Our investigators have a lot of facts to uncover. It appears to be an extremely tragic accident," Hutchinson said.
Krystel Knowles contributed to this story.