24-year-old woman hospitalized after I-595 crash in Fort Lauderdale

FHP: Woman ejected from car wasn't wearing seat belt

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A 24-year-old woman from Sunrise was hospitalized Saturday after she was involved in a crash on Interstate 595 in Fort Lauderdale, according to authorities.  

Jessica Walisch was not wearing her seat belt when she was driving a 2013 Mazda 3 sedan, according to Florida Highway Patrol Trooper J. Saint Amour, who investigated the crash.  

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Adolfo Escalante, 66, of Fort Lauderdale, was driving a 2013 Chevy Tahoe. He and Walish collided when they were both traveling westbound on I-595 near Flamingo Road.

Walisch's Mazda struck the left rear corner of Escalante's Chevy, according to Amour's report. After the impact, the Mazda overturned several times, and Walisch was ejected from the car, Amour said.

The Chevy "was redirected in a counter clockwise manner across all westbound lanes," according to Amour.

Authorities closed all of I-595's westbound lanes. Witnesses said there was a traffic back up from Flamingo Road all the way to University Drive. 

FHP Mark G. Wysocky said Walisch was taken to Broward Health Medical Center in critical condition.

FHP determined Escalante was not impaired when the crash happened about 6:30 a.m. They had yet to find out if Walisch was driving while impaired, and the cause of the crash remained under investigation Saturday afternoon. 

 


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