SIESTA KEY - A "typical Siesta Key mom" out jogging with her dog was killed Saturday afternoon by an alleged drunk driver who state troopers say was fleeing from another accident he had caused seconds earlier only blocks away.
Donna L. Chen, 53, of Sarasota died after being struck by a Nissan Altima driven by Blake C. Talman, 22, of Bradenton, the Florida Highway Patrol says.
At about 1:10 p.m., Talman was northbound on Midnight Pass Road, just south of Glebe Lane, fleeing from a hit-and-run accident, troopers said.
Chen and her dog were jogging on the sidewalk on the east side of the roadway, also headed north.
Midnight Pass Road curves left for northbound traffic.
According to the FHP: Talman did not make the turn, left the roadway, struck a metal pole, hit Chen from behind, struck a street sign for North View Drive and Midnight Pass Road, veered left, struck a stopped Ford Escort driven by Ashley D. Mullins, 18, of Sarasota, then hit a telephone pole in front of St. Michael's Archangel Catholic Church and finally came to a stop.
Chen was found face down in the middle of the roadway.
Richie Valente was the victim of the hit-and-run accident that occurred just seconds before Chen was killed.
According to Valente, he was southbound on Midnight Pass Road in his 2008 Chevrolet Silverado pickup, stopped at the light at Beach Road, when he saw Talman in his rear view mirror "screaming up behind" him."
Valente said Talman left more than 40 feet of skidmarks attempting to stop before rear-ending his pickup.
After colliding with the left rear of the truck, Valente said, Talman spun across the roadway, turned 180 degrees and fled the scene northbound until he struck Chen less than a half-mile away.
Valente received minor injuries.
Talman faces charges of vehicular homicide, hit-and-run property damage, DUI and nine additional traffic charges.
He was treated for serious injuries at Sarasota Memorial Hospital before being booked into the Sarasota county jail, where he is denied bail.
His passenger, 24-year-old David J. Brewer of Sarasota, was also treated for serious injuries at the hospital.
Mullins received minor injuries and did not need to be hospitalized.
Chen's dog Barney, a Hungarian Vizsla, survived the accident. The dog was found in the bay by a kayaker miles away from the accident scene.
He was returned to the family suffering from scrapes, abrasions and trauma.
Donna Chen, a registered nurse and homemaker, has been married to Wellington Chen, a semi-retired Emergency Room physician for 26 years. The couple have three children: William, 20, Tiffany, 18 and Andrew 15.
"She was a typical Siesta Key mom," Wellington Chen said. "She was so sweet. She was totally devoted to our family. Everything she did was oriented toward our kids. It's tragic it all had to end this way."
His wife frequently jogged along Midnight Pass Road, Chen said.
"She had passed three or four friends yesterday before it happened," Chen said. "She wasn't doing anything that thousands of other people don't do on the key every day."
On Sunday afternoon, a lone candle marked the spot where Chen was killed.
Spots of fluorescent orange paint left over from accident investigators marked the path of Talman's car, along with skidmarks, broken sidewalk and churned earth.
The path of paint marks takes a violent turn to the left from the spot where Chen was stuck.
On Sunday, the popular sidewalk was crowded with joggers, walkers and a man pulling his young daughter in a small red wagon.
Locals know that stretch of roadway, which has a 40 mph speed limit, contains a dangerous curve.
Toby Holland was jogging along the sidewalk Sunday with her Great Dane Yogi. They have had a couple of close calls.
"After all this, they will have to lower the speed limit," she said.
Holland and her husband, a physician, drove by the scene shortly after the accident occurred Saturday. Her husband asked the first responders if they could assist, but was told he was not required.
"Cars just go too fast along here," she said.
Kathy Cunningham, who lives two blocks away, heard a squeal of brakes, then a series of crashes Saturday.
She, too, likes to walk along the roadway and also believes the speed limit should be lowered.
Doug Lumpkin lives in Siesta Cove, just blocks from where Chen was killed, and attends St. Michael's. He and his wife have lobbied for improvements, most recently a crosswalk. The Florida Department of Transportation told them their request is under review.
"There's a long straightaway and then a curve," he said. "The speed limit is not appropriate. It has the potential for danger."
"Mom and dad keep reminding me to be careful of cars here," Lumpkin's son, Bo, said.
"We need a guardrail," his father pointed out.
Chen said he's experiencing a mixture of emotions after his wife's death.
"I am angry, upset, sad and worried about the future," he said.
Funeral arrangements for his wife are pending.
In the past, Talman has been cited for several traffic offenses by Sarasota County authorities and arrested for criminal offenses in nearby counties.
According to Sarasota County court records: In April, he was arrested for driving with a suspended license and cited for unlawful operation of radios-sound making devices or instruments. In July, he was cited for improper change of lane - passing when meeting an oncoming vehicle and again cited on a sound-making charge. In December, he received a speeding citation.
In March 2008, Charlotte County sheriff's deputies arrested him on El Jobean Road for possession of marijuana and possession of liquor by a person younger than 21.
Records indicate that adjudication was withheld in that case.
On the Charlotte County jail booking sheet, Talman listed his occupation as a cook.
Records indicate that Polk County authorities arrested him in November 2009 for violation of probation, which he received for the previous marijuana charge, and resisting an officer without violence. Records show that he was fined.
FAX BOX
ONLINE:
For a gallery of photos, go to heraldtribune.com/photos.
Copyright 2012 Sarasota Herald-Tribune Co.All Rights Reserved
