1 killed in wrong-way wreck on I-75 in Lee County

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FORT MYERS, Fla. – One woman is dead and another person deemed a trauma alert after a crash on Interstate-75 near mile marker 132 just after 9 a.m. Sunday.

The crash involved 46-year-old Brian Canfield of Fort Myers, who was traveling in the wrong direction in the inside southbound lane, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Canfield drove head-on into a second car.

“The guy in the one vehicle was screaming ‘Get me out of here!’ trying to get himself out. He couldn’t move. He was pinned,” said Tristan Matot, who stopped to help during the deadly crash.

He was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.

The wreck blocked all southbound lanes for several hours.

The driver of the second car, 34-year-old Anne Shifley of Madeira Beach, died. Her family said she was traveling to visit but never made it home.

Matot ran to Shifley’s side. The woman was also pinned in her car and became unconscious.

“I know that God was just calling his angel home,” Matot said. “I moved her hair from her face and then I took her heartbeat again from her neck. It was very faint and then I just put my hand on her and I just started praying ’cause I knew it was time for her.”

An investigation is pending. It is unknown whether the crash was alcohol-related.

There were a total of 1490 wrong-way crashes in Florida in 2015; 78 of those crashes occurred in Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties, according to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Miami-Dade County had the most wrong-way crashes with a total of 160 crashes in 2015.

FHSMV has the following safety tips about avoiding wrong-way crashes:

  • Stay Right at Night to avoid crashes with wrong way drivers.
  • Call 911 immediately to report wrong way drivers. If you see a wrong way driver approaching, immediately reduce your speed and pull off the roadway.
  • Stay alert – do not drive distracted. Never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
  • Learn and obey all traffic signs. If you drive past a wrong way sign, turn around immediately. When you see a posted red sign, think: “Stop.” “Do Not Enter.” “Wrong Way.”

No further information was immediately available.

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