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'Grandmother: 'Say A Prayer' For Crash Victim

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By JOSH POLTILOVE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 12, 2008

BRANDON - A 4-year-old girl injured in a crash Wednesday that killed her mother underwent surgery to relieve pressure in her head, authorities said Thursday.

"If everyone can say a prayer for her, I'd appreciate it," said the girl's grandmother, Tammy Rosian.

The girl's mother, Jennifer O'Boyle, had no time to react when a sport utility vehicle going the wrong way on the Selmon Crosstown Expressway plowed head-on into O'Boyle's Pontiac, Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Steve Gaskins said.

O'Boyle died at the scene of the pileup. She was a day shy of her 25th birthday.

Summer Moll, her 4-year-old daughter, was a passenger in the Pontiac and was taken to a local hospital with a shattered leg and swelling or bleeding in her brain, Gaskins said. He said she underwent surgery.

Rosian, interviewed Thursday at her home in Brandon, said she hopes the driver of the other car knows what she did.

The 2008 Honda sport utility vehicle driven by Cheryl Maria Riemann, 25, of Ruskin, hit O'Boyle's car on the lower deck of the Crosstown about a half-mile east of the 78th Street toll plaza, Gaskins said.

Riemann was driving east in the westbound lanes. She remained in critical condition Thursday at Tampa General Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Troopers say Riemann had an unopened bottle of Budweiser beer in a cup holder in the SUV and more unopened bottles on the floor of the passenger side. At least one bottle shattered in the crash, Gaskins said.

Authorities are investigating whether alcohol was a factor in the accident, Gaskins said. Investigators are awaiting toxicology results. Gaskins would not elaborate on how much beer was found.

Arthur Rosian, 46, said his stepdaughter was a single mom who worked as a waitress at Cracker Barrel in Valrico. When the crash happened, he said, O'Boyle was headed to Treasure Island to spend a couple of days with her boyfriend.

"Jennifer is an easygoing person, happy-go-lucky," Rosian said.

O'Boyle grew up in Chicago but moved to the Tampa Bay area about three years ago. She had taken some courses to become a medical assistant. Rosian said it has been "traumatic" for his family since the crash.

"It's just one of those things you always hear about but don't think it'll happen to you," he said.

An investigation is ongoing into why Riemann was driving the wrong way and which ramp she used to get on the expressway, troopers said.

The highway patrol has asked for surveillance video footage that might show where Riemann entered the expressway, Gaskins said. Investigators hope a camera at a toll booth may have recorded an image or video, Gaskins said.

O'Boyle, her daughter and Riemann were wearing seatbelts, according to a highway patrol report.

The crash occurred at 2:18 p.m. Wednesday. Riemann's SUV first was seen traveling the wrong way by witnesses on the west side of the 78th Street toll plaza. At the hump of the Palm River Road overpass, the SUV crashed into O'Boyle's 1998 Pontiac, which was westbound.

Authorities are investigating how fast the vehicles were going when they collided. But if O'Boyle and Riemann were both driving at the posted 65 mph speed limit, the drivers would only "have a second's worth of reaction time," Gaskins said.

O'Boyle's car spun into the path of a 2005 Honda van driven by Munir Humera of Tampa before stopping on the road's shoulder. Two more vehicles struck Humera's van. She and the other two drivers were not seriously hurt and were treated at the scene.

Portions of the Crosstown were closed for more than four hours while authorities investigated the wreckage and cleared the scene.

Riemann is expected to make a full recovery, Gaskins said. Investigators are waiting until she is treated to interview her.

Records show Riemann was found guilty of a handful of traffic violations in recent years, including driving without a license in 2005.

Her family was not at their home in Ruskin on Thursday.

Reporters John Ceballos and Ray Reyes contributed to this report. Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at (813) 259-7691 or jpoltilove@tampatrib.com.

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