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Driver In Fatal St. Pete Crash Had History Of Speeding

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A small yellow sports car crashed into an office building in St. Petersburg about 2:10 a.m.

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By CHIP OSOWSKI | News Channel 8
and STEPHEN THOMPSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 9, 2009

Updated: 02/09/2009 03:44 pm

ST. PETERSBURG - The 19-year-old St. Petersburg woman who lost control of her car this morning, killing a 20-year-old passenger, has had a range of traffic infractions – including three speeding tickets, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Melissa Anne Daddio, of 520 70th St. N., was driving south at a high rate of speed on 49th Street North about 2:10 a.m. when she tried to pass a group of friends in another car, police Lt. Lori Borrelli said.

As Daddio moved from the middle lane back to the right-hand lane in front of the slower car, she lost control of her 2004 Hyundai Tiburon and struck a curb, then a bus stop sign, water pipe, large real estate sign and stop sign before striking a ramp and slamming into the law offices of Keith A. Ringelspaugh, 3347 49th St. N., police spokesman George Kajtsa said.

Ryan D. King, 20, a passenger in the car, was killed in the crash, Kajtsa said. Daddio and another passenger, Sean Strait, 19, were taken to Bayfront Medical Center with injuries that were not life-threatening.

"We can say for sure that speed was a factor. She lost control of the vehicle, and that's when the vehicle exited the roadway and flipped and ended up against the building," Borrelli said.

In 2006, Daddio was cited for driving 44 mph in a 25 mph zone; then, the following month, she was clocked driving 61 mph in a 45 mph zone, according to Department of Motor Vehicle records. In 2007, she was cited for driving 38 mph in a 25 mph zone, the records show.

Daddio has also been cited for not wearing a seat belt, failure to obey a traffic sign or signal, and driving with a loud sound-making device, the records say.

Neal Kluever, who lives next door to the law office, heard the crash.

"I came outside and I just thought it was a bunch of kids or something," he said. "I [had] just seen the car pinned upside the building there. All the loud music coming from the car, you couldn't even hear the kids screaming."

Police are awaiting toxicology reports to see whether alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash.
The crash shut down traffic on 49th Street North from 39th Avenue North to 32nd Avenue North for several hours while police collected evidence.

"I was here at 3 o'clock this morning, and they had everything roped off to the point where I couldn't even see inside the office," said Ringelspaugh, who owns the law office. "It looks like there's some damage there, but it didn't catch fire or anything. And it's just the building, so we'll make do."

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