Pine Island Road clear after two crashes in North Fort Myers

NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — Two vehicle crashes involving injuries temporarily blocked traffic in both directions Thursday morning on Pine Island Road at Pacific Avenue in North Fort Myers, Florida Highway Patrol said.

Drivers were diverted onto Pacific for close to an hour before Pine Island Road was reopened to westbound traffic shortly before 7:30 a.m. and eastbound lanes opened at about 8 a.m.

One of the crashes was a hit-and-run. North Fort Myers resident Ashley Kimball, 27, was cited for reckless driving, leaving the scene of a crash with injuries, running a stop sign and driving with a suspended license in that wreck, FHP said.

She failed to stop as she entered Pine Island Road from Pacific Avenue and her Volvo S40 collided with a Toyota Tacoma driven by 60-year-old LaBelle resident Timothy Alan Walter, who went to Lee Memorial Hospital with minor injuries, according to FHP.

The intersection is between U.S. 41 and Business U.S. 41, close to the point where Pine Island Road becomes Bayshore Road.