The North Port driver involved in an April 12 head-on crash on the east side of Cortez Bridge has died.
Bernadeta Wilkins, 32, died April 22 from injuries suffered in the crash and contributing medical conditions, District 12 Medical Examiner Russell Vega said April 27.
The crash occurred in the eastbound apron to the bridge when Wilkins, driving west in an Oldsmobile Alero, tried to pass a vehicle in a no-passing zone and struck a Nissan Rogue, carrying a family of four and traveling east, according to Dave Bristow, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office public information director.
Wilkins was extricated from the Oldsmobile by West Manatee Fire Rescue.
Manatee County emergency records show three people sustained injuries in the crash, including a priority-one trauma alert for Wilkins.
A priority-one trauma is a medical designation for critically injured persons requiring immediate attention or unstable patients with a potentially life-threatening injury or illness. According to first responder reports after the crash, three adults were transported by ambulance to Blake Medical Center and the children were not injured.
Wilkins was cited for careless driving and failure to wear a seat belt, according to 12th Circuit Court records.
No other medical information was available for the family members in the Nissan.
— Kathy Prucnell