Probe heats up in newlyweds' crash
National safety agency wants to know why seat belts failed
Pensacola News-Journal
October 5, 2000
By Beth McPherson
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has joined a local investigation into why the seat belts in a newlywed couple's Ford Explorer failed when the vehicle overturned.
This is the latest step in an investigation that already includes Ford Motor Co. and the Florida Highway Patrol.
What they hope to discover is why the seat belts that Lori and Scott Dwelle were wearing didn't restrain them the night of Sept. 23 when their 2000 Ford Explorer overturned. Their vehicle reportedly was struck from behind on U.S. 98 near Destin, where they were to have spent their honeymoon.
Both Dwelles were ejected from the vehicle. Lori Dwelle died at the scene. Scott Dwelle was hospitalized for three days.
``It's obvious there was a total failure, and that's disturbing to us,'' said Florida Highway Patrol Capt. Daniel Parkton, who heads the patrol's Crestview office. ``In 25 years, I've never seen anything like this.''
Ford spokesman Mike Vaughn said the company has not had any recalls or complaints about seat belts in its 2000 Explorers.
``We consistently monitor the performance of our vehicles in the field,'' he said. ``If law enforcement contacts us when engineering expertise is needed, we would send engineers to them to help. If something allegedly happens, we do make every attempt to investigate.''
Both airbags in Scott Dwelle's Explorer functioned correctly, and the tires did not contribute to the accident, Parkton said. Firestone recently recalled 6.5 million tires, most of them installed as standard equipment on Explorers, after the tires were linked to 101 deaths and more than 400 injuries in the United States.
Parkton said he hopes members of the NHTSA's special crash investigation team, patrol investigators and Ford representatives will be able to meet in Crestview late next week.
On Tuesday, the Florida Highway Patrol retracted the results of its preliminary investigation into the crash, which were issued about five hours after the crash, stating that the seat belts were not in use. Press releases sent by troopers note only whether an occupant was wearing a seat belt, not whether they were restrained.
``On those reports, seat belts are synonymous with restraints,'' Parkton said. ``It was obvious they were not restrained at the time of the crash because they were ejected.''
The Florida Highway Patrol began looking at the seat-belt issue two days after the crash, and troopers met with Lori and Scott Dwelle's families to discuss why the report stated that they weren't wearing seat belts, Parkton said.
Patrol investigators met with a medical expert Tuesday before issuing a statement rescinding the preliminary seat belt statement.
A separate homicide investigation into the case is being conducted by Cpl. Danny Blackmon. No charges have been filed against Esther Holman, 45, of Mary Esther, who was driving the Jaguar that hit the Dwelle's Explorer.
``We're now concerned with finding out how fast the car was going and whether alcohol was involved,'' Parkton said. ``We're still waiting on lab results, and we're going to make sure every stone is looked under before we take this to the State Attorney's Office.''
The state attorney then will determine what, if any, charges will be filed.
Levin legal firm examines case
Tommy Weekley, Lori Dwelle's father, referred calls Wednesday about the accident investigation to Pensacola attorney Fred Levin, who could not be reached for comment.
Levin's son, Martin, said his law firm has started an investigation into why the Dwelle vehicle's seat belts failed to restrain the occupants.
``It's clear that both Scott and Lori were seat-belted,'' Martin Levin said, adding that if Lori Dwelle's seat belt had worked properly, she would have survived the accident.
The Levin firm has hired experts to look at the vehicle and the seat belts. State and federal agencies also are involved in the probe to determine if the seat belts' failure was an isolated incident or a recurring problem, Levin said.
Fred Levin is a nationally recognized personal-injury lawyer.
