Bradenton man critical after crash
by Lisa Neff. Islander Reporter
A Bradenton man with Island ties remained in critical condition last week after his Jeep Cherokee crashed into a tree along Manatee Avenue on Perico Island.
The accident occurred at about 9:30 p.m. Dec. 14 and resulted in Timothy “Tim” Andricks, 18, being rushed to Bayfront Medical Center by medical helicopter.
Andricks, of 13th Avenue Drive West in Bradenton, grew up on Anna Maria Island and has worked for the past four years at the Holmes Beach Service Station with owner Bret Vande Vrede.
Andricks, a student at Manatee Technical Institute, works at the station after school and helped close the shop nightly.
Vande Vrede said last week he was eager for Andricks’ recovery.
“He’s doing better,” Vande Vrede said on Dec. 19, adding that he had plans to visit his employee at Bayfront in St. Petersburg later that day. “I’m hoping to see him come back as soon as possible.”
A Web page established at www.carepages.com tracks Andricks’ recovery, with posts on his condition several times a day.
“As everyone knows by now, Tim was in a car accident on Sunday night,” a post on Dec. 17 stated. “The latest update is that Tim is still being sedated, and has had his cervical collar removed. He is still not responding to commands, but is making purposeful movements that are very good signs.”
A post on Dec. 18 read, “The trauma nurse woke Tim again at 4 p.m., and he was able to respond to commands. He was unable to open his eyes, but he tried very hard. The nurse practitioner said that they are weaning him off the ventilator, and by tomorrow they might be able to put him on a CPAP — a device that allows Tim to breath on his own and assists him when he needs help. He is resting and we appreciate everyone’s support.”
The accident involved only Andricks’ SUV, according to a report from the Bradenton Police Department, which has handled the investigation.
The report indicated that Andricks was traveling eastbound on Manatee Avenue/State Road 64 and, near the 12000 block, lost control of the 1996 Jeep.
Investigators determined that the vehicle crossed the westbound lane of Manatee Avenue, hit a stop sign at the northwest corner of Seven Shores Boulevard and then hit a stand of trees.
A bystander reported the accident, notifying authorities that the crash looked bad but that the driver had a pulse.
Bradenton police and fire officers, as well as Manatee County Emergency Medical Service paramedics, rushed to the scene and quickly decided to fly Andricks to Bayfront.
BPD investigators have not determined the speed the Jeep was traveling at the time of the accident.
The results of a drug and alcohol test, routinely conducted in a serious accident, are pending.
Following his care
Friends and acquaintances who want to follow Tim Andricks’ recovery may visit a Web page created by his family at www.carepages.com. Visitors to the Web site will be required to open a free user account. |
