Deadly Crash in West Manatee County

In 2018, the NHTSA reported that there were 36,750 fatal motor vehicle crashes across the United States. This is a decrease of 1.0% from the number of fatal accidents in 2017, marking a two consecutive year decrease for drivers, passengers, and motorcyclists. However, the number of crashes involving large trucks, pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers 65 and older rose from the previous year. When it comes to factors involved in these accidents, speeding or driving too fast for conditions was the largest factor. DUI was the second largest factor. In third and fourth place were failure to maintain the proper lane and failure to yield.

The Bradenton Herald reports that a man was killed in an accident that shut down Cortez Road. The crash occurred at about 4:11 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Cortez Road and Independence Drive in West Manatee County.

87-year-old Yessayi H. Mardirossian was headed north on Independence Drive in a Buick Lucerne. He stopped at the stop sign at Cortez Road. He then attempted to turn left onto Cortez Road.

Mardirossian turned into the path of an oncoming Dodge Ram that had been traveling east on Cortez Road. The front of the pickup collided with the left side of Mardirossian’s vehicle. It came to a rest in the turn lane of the intersection. The Buick came to rest across both westbound lanes of Cortez Road.

Mardirossian was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. His passenger, an unnamed 80-year-old woman, suffered from critical injuries and was taken to the hospital.

The driver of the pickup truck only suffered from minor injuries.