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'By The Book,' Paramedics Watched Man Thrash, Drown

RUGENE MOORE / News Channel 8

Two men died when an SUV crashed through a fence and plunged into a retention pond late Wednesday night.

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By MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA / Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Published: November 2, 2007

Previous Coverage:
11/01/07:2 Die In Bradenton When SUV Plows Into Pond
11/01/07:Video: Crash Witnesses Talk

BRADENTON - Johnnie Schoolfield Jr. and Theodore Thomas were longtime friends, growing up in the same neighborhood in east Bradenton. On Halloween night, the men were together, naturally, cruising the streets.

Less than an hour before midnight, Schoolfield and Thomas veered off 30th Avenue East onto a dead-end street near Southeast High School. Their vehicle slammed through two metal fences and sank into a pond.

Authorities say Schoolfield, 25, known as "Chubby" in the community for his round face, was dead when paramedics and firefighters arrived at the retention pond in the 3300 block of 11th Street Court East. But Thomas, 22, was in the water thrashing and calling for help, witnesses told investigators.

The paramedics, who pulled up to the crash first, did not go in the water. Within about four minutes of the 911 call, two firefighters arrived, threw on life jackets and dived into the pond. They had seen a man go under but were unable to find him.

Family members of the victims are searching for answers about the events that led up to the crash and double fatality. Speculation is rampant. Was another vehicle chasing the car? Were the men playing a game of chance?

Authorities are interviewing two passengers, Britany Axon, 24, and Shaquna Rivera, 17, who swam from the vehicle and walked away after the crash.

For Thomas' family, there is unflinching criticism of the paramedics for not diving in to save a man struggling to survive.

"Nobody helped him, and that makes me angry," said a sister, Keishanna Thomas, 23. "I feel they watched him die. He didn't get a second chance to see life."

State guidelines do not require paramedics to be trained for water rescue. Also, the paramedics, who work for the county but are not firefighters, did not have water-safety equipment, said Capt. Larry Leinhauser of the Manatee County Emergency Communication Center.

Leinhauser said it is not practical to train paramedics as if they were lifeguards. Firefighters, for example, are not trained to administer drugs to a dying person, he said.

"We have to stay within our scope of practice," Leinhauser said Thursday. "We were neither equipped nor trained for a water rescue."

Historically, water rescues in Manatee County are rare. In some cases, police have been the first to race into the water. That happened last year when a vehicle plunged off Anna Maria Bridge. One person was killed. Another man, pulled from the vehicle, survived.

The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the Halloween crash, which happened about 11:15 p.m. Troopers want to speak with anyone who may have seen it.

Authorities identified Schoolfield as the driver of the Hyundai SUV. The vehicle, which witnesses said had its headlights off, was found submerged in 10 to 15 feet of water.

A 911 caller said the SUV was going "superfast."

"You guys, how many people?" the caller said to a person standing near the pond. "You can't see the car anymore!"

"OK. Listen to me. This can be a very dangerous situation," the 911 dispatcher said. "Don't let anybody else go into the water."

The caller said there was a man in the water who could not swim.

"We just heard the girl yelling, 'Stop, stop,' and whoever was driving kept going, and you could hear a big boom," another 911 caller said.

FHP troopers have not determined whether alcohol contributed to the wreck. Preliminary autopsy results show Schoolfield and Thomas drowned.

The two women who were in the car were not injured and have not been charged with a crime for leaving the scene.

Chief Tom Hennessy of Southern Manatee Fire & Rescue said the first fire crew arrived within about four minutes of the call. The men were in the water within about a minute.

"It's an unfortunate incident that two men lost their lives," Hennessy said. "We did what we could when we arrived. We did everything by the book."

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