The Holmes Beach Police Department’s investigation into a Nov. 29 traffic collision may take a few weeks to bear results.
HBPD Lt. Brian Hall told The Islander Dec. 8 that it could be three to four weeks before the results of a blood test to determine if Ellenton resident Michael Fitzgerald was under the influence of drugs or alcohol when his vehicle crashed into a golf cart on Palm Drive.
Fitzgerald, a delivery driver for a medical marijuana dispensary, crossed the Palm Drive centerline and struck a golf cart head-on that was being driven by Anna Maria resident, Jana Samuels, 79.
The crash ejected Samuels from her vehicle, leaving her in critical condition. She remained in an intensive care unit at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton as of Dec. 9.
Anna Maria City Commissioner Carol Carter asked people Dec. 9 to include Samuels in their thoughts and prayers.
“She is recuperating very slowly, as I understand, in the hospital, and has had to undergo numerous surgeries,” Carter said. “I’m sure it will be a long recovery based on the injuries she sustained.”
Fitzgerald was not arrested but was cited for careless driving and he also was transported to Blake for treatment.
At the hospital, he allowed medical personnel to complete a request from law enforcement for a blood sample for drug-and-alcohol testing. HBPD noted in their reporting that Fitzgerald displayed “signs of impairment.”
The blood sample was sent to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement lab for testing.