Four wrecks in 24 hours, no one severely hurt

The blistering heat, coupled with schools closing for the summer, may have some motorists on edge.

That’s according to one local firefighter whose department, the Holley-Navarre Fire District, responded to four car accidents within 24 hours, June 13 – 14. Three of those were rollovers.

“People are getting impatient,” said Lt. Randy Sides, a Holley-Navarre firefighter, “and just not paying attention.”

Sides was one of several emergency personnel who responded to the scene of a two-car accident at the intersection of U.S. Highway 98 and Fox Den Drive around 4:24 p.m. Monday.

While trying to take a left-hand turn onto Fox Den Drive, Holly Elassaad, 48, of Navarre, was struck by James. L. Smither, 28, also of Navarre, who was traveling west on U.S. 98.

The impact flipped Elassaad’s Kia SUV onto its roof. Elassaad, who was wearing her seatbelt, was able to exit the vehicle without injury.

“It was like a speeding red bullet coming right after me,” Elassaad said of Smither’s 1993 Volvo. “It was all surreal. The seatbelt saved my life.”

For more on this story, see the June 17 issue of the Navarre Press or subscribe online.