PANAMA CITY BEACH — Two spring breakers who were caught under a burning van a week ago have headed home for treatment of their injuries.
Larry Reynolds and Jonathan Sharp, both of Mississippi, were riding scooters Thursday of last week at about 3:40 p.m. when a van behind them struck the two bikes and pinned the two men under the vehicle. Flames spread quickly, burning the scooters and much of the van. Bystanders pulled the two to safety, but not before both men suffered serious injuries.
Both Reynolds and Sharp spent time in a local hospital before returning home to Mississippi for treatment. Reynolds has a long way to go toward recovery. He has two broken legs, a broken ankle and one leg is severely burned. And to add to the matter, Reynolds did not have insurance at the time.
When police and fire crews arrived at Front Beach Road and Richard Jackson Boulevard, the 1997 Ford van was ablaze and billowing black smoke. The intersection, a main thoroughfare for much of Spring Break traffic, was shut down for hours as firefighters doused the flames.
Panama City Beach Police reported the driver of the van Steven L. Sanders, 20, was driving west on Front Beach Drive when he struck the two scooters. Sanders continued to drive before rear-ending a Chevy Malibu. When he crashed into the back of the Malibu, the front end of the van lifted up and came down on the two scooters, momentarily pinning their drivers underneath, PCBPD reported.
Before coming to a stop, both scooters and the van erupted in flames.
Bystanders sprung to action and freed the two men before emergency crews arrived. One witness, who preferred to go unidentified, said because of fuel spilling from the vehicles Reynolds and Sharp remained on fire after they were pulled to safety.
“They was still on fire,” he said. “Even after we beat the flames out, his legs caught fire again it was so hot.”
Reynolds was transported to Bay Medical Center, where he underwent surgery and was listed in critical condition. Sharp was in stable condition and air-lifted to a burn center.
The occupants of the Malibu and Sanders and his passengers were not injured in the crash. Sanders, of Springfield, Ill., was charged with driving with a suspended or revoked license.
Police were investigating other charges in the crash. According to court records, no other charges have been filed.