Gertrude Bazin, 37, of Kissimmee, is in serious condition this morning at at Osceola Regional Hospital after reportedly losing control of her Nissan and driving into a retention pond. A passenger died in the Thuesday evening accident.KISSIMMEE -- A 41-year-old Orlando man who was a passenger in a car died Thursday night after the driver lost control of the vehicle on Fairweather Way near Flack Court and landed in a retention pond, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The driver, 37-year-old Gertrude Bazin of Kissimmee, and the passenger, whose name was not released, were able to free themselves from her 2002 Nissan 4-door, but her passenger was pronounced dead at the scene of the 7:20 p.m. accident. It wasn't clear from a report whether the passenger drowned or succumbed to injury.
Here is a synopsis of what happened as described by Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Kim Montes: The driver, Bazin, had just backed out of a driveway and was eastbound on Fairweather Way, when for an as yet unknown reason, lost control of her car and ended up in the pond. Witnesses at the scene reported both occupants were able to get out of the sinking vehicle, but only the driver survived.
The driver was found by fire rescue and transported to Osceola Regional Hospital. The passenger was located by divers in the water and pronounced dead.
The medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine the passenger's cause of death, the FHP spokeswoman said. Alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the fatal crash, though an investigation is ongoing, Montes said.
The victim's name is being withheld until relatives are notified, she said.