LARGO, Fla. — Largo Police Chief Mike Loux said Monday the investigation into the weekend car crash that killed three people is ongoing, and there are details he can't yet discuss.
“We’ve been asked to comment on several facets of the investigation, which we simply can’t go into at this time,” said Loux. “This includes how fast the vehicles were traveling, whether any of the occupants were wearing seat belts or were in child seats, and whether charges are to follow at this time.”
What police have said is that Jabari Solomon, 10, Charlie Solomon Riveria, 4, and Charlie’s father, Herbert Riveria, 58, were passengers in a car driven by Gail Price, 78, when Price attempted to turn left onto Orangeview Dr. from Ridge Rd. around 1:43 PM Saturday afternoon. Another car heading south on Ridge ran into Price’s car. Loux said the children were thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene.
Neighbors told Spectrum News the group was moments from arriving at Price’s home on Orangeview, where she’d lived for decades. One of them, Scott Kelley, said he was home on his lunch break when it happened.
“You could hear the exhaust, like, backfire when he was downshifting, and you heard that boom. Then, all of a sudden, you heard the boom of the crash, and the whole house vibrated,” said Kelley.
When he went to see what happened, Kelley said he found a devastating scene not far from his front door.
“I just saw groceries all over the road, and I seen the two babies. It was not a pleasant thing at all,” he said.
According to police, Jabari and Charlie were thrown from the car. Balloons, stuffed animals, and flowers now mark the area where they died. Price died at the hospital Sunday, one day after the crash. Kelley said he’d known her for 20 years.
“She was a very nice neighbor,” Kelley said. “We’re both very quiet, and we’d see each other at church and always say hello when we saw each other.”
Kelley also knows Herbert Riveria, who police said was in a relationship with Price and seriously injured in the crash. One neighbor described him as the “mayor” of the street, saying he’s always the first to welcome new neighbors.
“If you see all the white flags in our yard, he was supposed to fix my sprinklers today,” said Kelley. “He was the handyman for basically the whole street.”
Loux said there were no signs of impairment with either driver involved. He told reporters a key question investigators are now trying to answer revolves around who had the right of way in the situation.
“When you’re making the left-hand turn onto a roadway, you have to make sure that you provide the right of way. So, whether speed was a factor, whether the vehicle had the right of way, that’s all part of the investigation,” Loux said.
The chief said it’s expected to take two-to-three weeks to get a clearer picture of how the crash played out.
