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Posted on Tue, Sep. 13, 2005
Three FSU students die in crash
Another passenger seriously injured
By Aetna Smith
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Five close friends from Tampa - all Tallahassee college students - went to the city for a weekend visit. But after a Sunday morning crash on Interstate 75, their lives would be changed forever; three of them died in the crash, and one is seriously injured.
The fifth, who escaped without major injury, also grieves, her mother said.
Three Florida State University students, Andromeda Spencer, 20, Viquilla Troupe, 18, and Alana Williams, 19, died after the crash, said Libby Fairhurst, a university spokeswoman.
Another passenger, Audrick Drummond, 19, was in serious but stable condition Monday at a Tampa hospital, said Trooper Larry Coggins of the Florida Highway Patrol. Her mother said she has broken ribs and a bruised lung. She is studying business at Florida A&M University.
Alrick Drummond was driving the car with her twin sister next to her. She was treated and released from a hospital Sunday, Coggins said. She also was attending FSU and shared an apartment with Spencer and Williams.
"It's hard trying to grasp that they're actually gone," said Joe Troupe, Viquilla's uncle. "All of those girls had so much going for them. They were good people, doing the right thing, and to have them taken away from us in a split second. ... To have three kids (die) in one tragic accident affects the whole community."
About 11:45 a.m. Sunday, Alrick Drummond was driving on I-75, just north of Tampa, when for unknown reasons her 2001 Nissan crossed the inside lane and moved to the median. The car slid into the concrete column supporting an overpass and came to rest in the median, Coggins said.
For the friends and family, it's been a time to mourn for the dead and the living.
Monday afternoon, friend Tiara Simmons and Ashley Troupe, cousin of Viquilla, said they suspect Alrick Drummond blames herself for the crash.
"We don't blame her for any of this," Simmons said during a phone interview. "If God has something set, he has it set."
The twins' mother, Sharon Drummond, agreed. "Mentally, she's not doing too well," she said. "She's blaming herself, but she's doing better."
The twins were going home to surprise their mother for her birthday, Simmons said. The other women were visiting their relatives. Spencer's birthday was on Friday. Although several fans traveled to Tampa for Saturday's football game between FAMU and the University of South Florida, the women didn't attend, Simmons said.
On Sunday morning, Simmons said she took Spencer to her father's house so the women could leave by 11 a.m.
"I gave her a hug and we always said, 'I love you,' " she said. "And we said, 'I'll see you later.' Not goodbye."
Simmons and Spencer spoke on cell phones as Spencer rode in the car. They laughed about a gift Simmons forgot to give Spencer for her birthday. That's when Simmons heard a terrible sound.
"When she screamed, it was a scream like 'Help!' and the phone went dead," she said. For the rest of the day, she frantically tried to call the women but didn't get a call back.
Ashley Troupe and Simmons described Spencer as small in stature, talkative and studious. Simmons called her the "mama" of the circle of friends. She was a biochemistry major at FSU.
"She loved to talk on the phone and she loved to have fun, but she made sure we got our work," Simmons said. In fact, Spencer challenged Simmons to join her at FSU.
Viquilla Troupe - who everyone called Qui - was a tall freshman studying biological sciences.
"She was very energetic, always smiling, athletic and intelligent," said her uncle, Joe Troupe. "She was going to try out for the track team to earn an athletic scholarship. She used to wake her dad up early in the morning to go running with her to train."
Williams was in her sophomore year at FSU as a business major. Despite her fun-loving demeanor, she was an honor graduate of a Tampa high school, Simmons said.
Joe Troupe said family and friends are struggling with the deaths. The women were involved in a youth opportunity program in Tampa that counseled students to excel in school and give back through community service.
Sharon Drummond said her daughters are having a difficult time, but she has hope for them.
"I'm telling them how blessed they are, and I'm being there for them, loving them," she said. "And everybody has been so wonderful."
At the crash scene, an off-duty paramedic stopped to help the women and then a group of National Guardsmen directed traffic until authorities arrived, Coggins said. Spencer and Troupe died there.
A paramedic performed CPR on Williams, Coggins said. She died at a Dade City hospital.
Coggins said the twins were wearing seat belts, but he said it was unknown whether Spencer, Williams or Troupe were wearing them. "When the trooper got there, they had been pulled out of the car, so we don't know if they were buckled up," he said. Autopsy results and a study of the wreckage will help determine if they were wearing seat belts.
Three FSU students die in crash
Another passenger seriously injured
By Aetna Smith
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Five close friends from Tampa - all Tallahassee college students - went to the city for a weekend visit. But after a Sunday morning crash on Interstate 75, their lives would be changed forever; three of them died in the crash, and one is seriously injured.
The fifth, who escaped without major injury, also grieves, her mother said.
Three Florida State University students, Andromeda Spencer, 20, Viquilla Troupe, 18, and Alana Williams, 19, died after the crash, said Libby Fairhurst, a university spokeswoman.
Another passenger, Audrick Drummond, 19, was in serious but stable condition Monday at a Tampa hospital, said Trooper Larry Coggins of the Florida Highway Patrol. Her mother said she has broken ribs and a bruised lung. She is studying business at Florida A&M University.
Alrick Drummond was driving the car with her twin sister next to her. She was treated and released from a hospital Sunday, Coggins said. She also was attending FSU and shared an apartment with Spencer and Williams.
"It's hard trying to grasp that they're actually gone," said Joe Troupe, Viquilla's uncle. "All of those girls had so much going for them. They were good people, doing the right thing, and to have them taken away from us in a split second. ... To have three kids (die) in one tragic accident affects the whole community."
About 11:45 a.m. Sunday, Alrick Drummond was driving on I-75, just north of Tampa, when for unknown reasons her 2001 Nissan crossed the inside lane and moved to the median. The car slid into the concrete column supporting an overpass and came to rest in the median, Coggins said.
For the friends and family, it's been a time to mourn for the dead and the living.
Monday afternoon, friend Tiara Simmons and Ashley Troupe, cousin of Viquilla, said they suspect Alrick Drummond blames herself for the crash.
"We don't blame her for any of this," Simmons said during a phone interview. "If God has something set, he has it set."
The twins' mother, Sharon Drummond, agreed. "Mentally, she's not doing too well," she said. "She's blaming herself, but she's doing better."
The twins were going home to surprise their mother for her birthday, Simmons said. The other women were visiting their relatives. Spencer's birthday was on Friday. Although several fans traveled to Tampa for Saturday's football game between FAMU and the University of South Florida, the women didn't attend, Simmons said.
On Sunday morning, Simmons said she took Spencer to her father's house so the women could leave by 11 a.m.
"I gave her a hug and we always said, 'I love you,' " she said. "And we said, 'I'll see you later.' Not goodbye."
Simmons and Spencer spoke on cell phones as Spencer rode in the car. They laughed about a gift Simmons forgot to give Spencer for her birthday. That's when Simmons heard a terrible sound.
"When she screamed, it was a scream like 'Help!' and the phone went dead," she said. For the rest of the day, she frantically tried to call the women but didn't get a call back.
Ashley Troupe and Simmons described Spencer as small in stature, talkative and studious. Simmons called her the "mama" of the circle of friends. She was a biochemistry major at FSU.
"She loved to talk on the phone and she loved to have fun, but she made sure we got our work," Simmons said. In fact, Spencer challenged Simmons to join her at FSU.
Viquilla Troupe - who everyone called Qui - was a tall freshman studying biological sciences.
"She was very energetic, always smiling, athletic and intelligent," said her uncle, Joe Troupe. "She was going to try out for the track team to earn an athletic scholarship. She used to wake her dad up early in the morning to go running with her to train."
Williams was in her sophomore year at FSU as a business major. Despite her fun-loving demeanor, she was an honor graduate of a Tampa high school, Simmons said.
Joe Troupe said family and friends are struggling with the deaths. The women were involved in a youth opportunity program in Tampa that counseled students to excel in school and give back through community service.
Sharon Drummond said her daughters are having a difficult time, but she has hope for them.
"I'm telling them how blessed they are, and I'm being there for them, loving them," she said. "And everybody has been so wonderful."
At the crash scene, an off-duty paramedic stopped to help the women and then a group of National Guardsmen directed traffic until authorities arrived, Coggins said. Spencer and Troupe died there.
A paramedic performed CPR on Williams, Coggins said. She died at a Dade City hospital.
Coggins said the twins were wearing seat belts, but he said it was unknown whether Spencer, Williams or Troupe were wearing them. "When the trooper got there, they had been pulled out of the car, so we don't know if they were buckled up," he said. Autopsy results and a study of the wreckage will help determine if they were wearing seat belts.