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Driver Who Hit 4 Cars Has History Of Offenses

RUGENE MOORE / News Channel 8

Tanya Ellis, 22, died in this Toyota Corolla after she was hit by the roofing truck driven by Wensley Belfoor, whose license was suspended in May, Tampa police said.

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By VALERIE KALFRIN and KEITH MORELLI The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 5, 2007

Related: Survivor Recounts Crash That Claimed Fiancée | Photos

TAMPA - Tonya Ellis and her fiance shared their last ride to work Tuesday morning.

Shortly before 6 a.m., Ellis and Eugene Eichorn hopped into a white Toyota Tercel and left their home at 1508 E. Genessee St. They had worked together at a road construction company for about two years, she flagging drivers toward detours and he putting up barriers for road work, a supervisor said.

They were eastbound on Hillsborough Avenue, stopped at North 30th Street, when a roofing truck driven by a habitual traffic offender with a suspended license slammed into the Tercel's rear, Tampa police said.

The driver of the truck from Quality Roofing of Florida, 49-year-old Wensley Belfoor, has a medical condition that caused him to smash into three other vehicles on East Hillsborough Avenue before crashing into the Tercel, police said.

The impact pushed the Toyota and the roofer's Ford F-250 into potted plants at a farmers market.

Ellis, 22, who was driving the Tercel, was killed. Eichorn, 27, was treated at Tampa General Hospital and later discharged, officials said.

Police said Belfoor also was treated at Tampa General Hospital. The hospital had no information on his condition.

The state attorney's office is reviewing possible charges against Belfoor, police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.

None of the other motorists was injured, Davis said. She did not have the identities of the other motorists.

Public records show Belfoor, of 119 Bush Lane, Tampa, is a habitual traffic offender whose license was suspended for five years as of May.

Police did not elaborate on Belfoor's medical condition. Richard Jenkins, who owns of the roofing company, said Belfoor has diabetes. Reached by phone early Tuesday morning, before police confirmed Belfoor's driving record, Jenkins said, "He's a good guy. ... I feel terrible about this."

Jenkins could not be reached for additional comment Tuesday evening.

Co-workers of Ellis and Eichorn at the road-construction company, Traffic Control Products of Tampa, were upset upon hearing of the crash.

"They're very sad about it," supervisor Jeanne DeMarco said, crying. "We're all close."

Ellis, who also helped around the shop by maintaining the paint supplies for striping roads, had a sparkling sense of humor, DeMarco said. "They always made me laugh," she said of Ellis and Eichorn. "She was very outgoing. She was a very happy person."

Police said several 911 calls came in between 5:58 and 6:03 a.m. to report the white Ford F-250 swerving and hitting vehicles along East Hillsborough Avenue. The truck first struck a vehicle at Lee Place, then one at Central Avenue, then another at North 22nd Street before striking the Toyota at North 30th Street, police said.

Michael Perry, who owns the Dallas Bull nightclub east of Tampa, was westbound when the collision at North 30th Street occurred.

"I was looking forward at the light when I saw the truck pushing this car," he said, standing about 30 yards from the two crumpled vehicles. "I said, 'That guy just hit that girl.' I could tell it was a girl because I saw her hair."

Davis did not know how fast Belfoor was traveling but said the 911 callers reported the truck was traveling at a high rate of speed.

"He had to be flying," Perry said. "The tires were smoking."

Lelo Lucas, working at a produce stand at the farmers' market, said he saw another driver keep the roofer from exiting the truck. "He tried to get out, and the other guy told him not to move," Lucas said.

In 1998 and 2002, Belfoor was charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence. For the first offense, his license was suspended for 180 days. For the second, it was suspended for five years. He also has received four speeding citations since 1998, his driving record shows

Belfoor also has been cited three times for driving with a suspended license, most recently in January, records show. His license was suspended for five years in May because he is a habitual traffic violator, records show.

@tampatrib.com.

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