Dark night takes a fatal turn

Daryl Oliver was in his baby blue 1999 Lincoln Town Car, driving south on 43rd Street to the Gold Rush gym for a night of training in preparation for his debut as a professional boxer.

Monica Alvarez, 27 years old and six months pregnant, was with her 1-year-old daughter, Imani Golden. They were walking south along 43rd Street with Shanita Little, 24, and Little's 11-month-old daughter, Marquisha Wilson.

The women pushed baby strollers on the rocky dirt in front of Global Used Truck Sales. They were on the way to the Citgo gas station and convenience store across Hillsborough Avenue, family members say.

It was about 7:40 p.m. Wednesday.

"It was black out," Oliver said.

As he approached Hillsborough Avenue, "something popped out in front of me, like a deer," he said.

What happened next is fuzzy, Oliver said.

Police said he hit the women and children as they walked along the side of the unlit road. The street has no sidewalk.

"I saw the lady slide off my car," said Oliver, 25, who can't recall exactly when he applied the brakes.

Alvarez died Wednesday night while she was being taken by helicopter to Tampa General Hospital. Doctors performed emergency surgery to try to save the baby, but Alvarez's son Tuchie died shortly after birth, police said.

Young Imani also was injured. The child was listed in critical condition at Tampa General Hospital. Little and her daughter were listed in stable condition today at a local hospital, police said.

Oliver said as soon as he realized what had happened, he got out of his car and spoke to Alvarez.

"I kept saying, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,' " Oliver said by phone from C & N Mobile Tire, where he fixes tires for a living.

Oliver said he then called 911 and waited for police to arrive while he stayed with the people he hit.

"I was in shock," he said.

Police confirmed that Oliver called 911.

"He was very upset," Tampa police Lt. Mary O'Connor said. "At this time, there is nothing to indicate the driver did anything wrong."

She said Oliver had a valid driver's license, valid registration and was not going at an excessive speed. The speed limit on the road is 25 mph. The headlights of his car were on, O'Conner said.

On the phone, Oliver said he was driving within the speed limit.

"It appears nothing more than a tragic accident," O'Connor said.

"I have been friends with her nephew Gary Walker for years," Oliver said. "I met her a few times but didn't really know her. But everyone who does know her says she is a great lady."

Walker said his aunt was a "very sweet person."

"We grew up together in the same house," he said. "She was my best friend."

A makeshift memorial appeared overnight at the curb where the incident occurred.

A green teddy bear, a stuffed Tigger and a bouquet of red silk flowers were the first items placed on 43rd Street, just north of Hillsborough.

Community activist Karen Peoples said she has been petitioning the Tampa City Council to install speed bumps, more lighting and better signage on North 43rd Street.

"People speed by here," Peoples said. "This is a dangerous stretch."

Brian Donley, the owner of Global Used Truck Sales, said pedestrians are hard to see in the area after dark.

"This was an accident waiting to happen," Donley said.

The pregnant mother was hit by the car in front of his business, he said.

"It's very sad it takes a tragedy like this to hopefully get people off their butts to do something," he said.

City Councilman Frank Reddick, who represents East Tampa and lives near the crash scene, asked Thursday for Tampa's Department of Public Works to develop a plan to make streets in the neighborhood safer, including sidewalks and traffic signage. He asked the department to present the plan at the council's Dec. 1 meeting.

He said he also spoke with Tampa Electric Co. about improved street lighting in the neighborhood.

"There's no sidewalks, little lighting, and it's a narrow street," Reddick said. "It's a dangerous combination."

 Councilwoman Lisa Montelione pointed out that Tampa has one of the highest fatality rates in the nation for pedestrians.

"We are not a safe place to cross the street," she said.

Other council members said they will be working to secure money for safety upgrades.

"Unfortunately, it takes a tragedy like this to wake people up," Councilman Mike Suarez said.

Clara Norris, Oliver's stepmother, said this is a tragedy for all involved.

"They lost a daughter, a mother, a child," she said. "But the city has to wonder how it sleeps at night. There should have been lights there."

"She was a real good cook when she wanted to be," Walker said.

Her specialties were fried chicken and ribs.

"She made her own rib sauce," Walker said. "It was great."

Oliver said he hasn't spoken with Walker about the incident.

Oliver has had four traffic violations in the past year, most recently Aug. 27 when he was cited for failure to observe a traffic device. He was also twice stopped for speeding, traveling more than 15 mph over the limit. The other violation was for failure to use a seat belt. He was convicted on all four violations. He said he wants to apologize to the families.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "It was so dark. I didn't see anything."