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Early morning Clearwater wreck kills two drivers

By Tamara El-Khoury, Times Staff Writer
In print: Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Two drivers died after a pickup, shown above, slammed into the side of a car at Keene and Nursery roads early Tuesday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
	[EAMONN W. KNEESHAW | Special to the Times]

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CLEARWATER — Car parts and other debris remained scattered across several lawns Tuesday, the aftermath of a two-vehicle crash that killed both drivers.

The wreck at Nursery and Keene roads threw the drivers, neither of whom wore a seat belt, out of their vehicles, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Kevin A. Noury, 35, of Clearwater, was driving a 1996 Dodge Neon. The other driver, who was behind the wheel of a 2004 Ford F350 pickup truck, was identified Tuesday night as Robert L. Snedeker, 43, of Clearwater.

The accident happened at 12:35 a.m. Troopers said Snedeker's Ford was going east on Nursery Road while Noury was headed north on Keene Road. As both entered the intersection, the pickup truck hit the left side of Noury's car.

The Ford rotated counterclockwise across the westbound lanes of Nursery Road. It slid off the roadway, slamming into a concrete mailbox and a utility pole before coming to rest on its roof. Snedeker, who was found 167 feet from the Ford, died at the scene.

Noury's car also skidded off the road. He was pronounced dead at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg.

Investigators have not determined which driver ran a red light, according to the highway patrol. They also had not determined whether alcohol played any role in the crash.

Noury, whose family declined to talk to a reporter Tuesday, has been cited for several driving infractions in Pinellas County, including operating a motor vehicle without a driver's license, speeding and operating a motor vehicle with an unsafe condition.

The crash woke up several residents along Nursery Road.

Maria Escott said she heard a boom, like a transformer had blown. She ran outside and heard people yelling to be careful because wires were down. Then there was an explosion from the utility pole.

"It lit up the whole area, white, like it was daylight," she said.

A helicopter quickly arrived and landed on Keene Road, she said.

Stephanie Purdy, 20, said she was driving west on Nursery Road before the accident and saw the gray Ford pickup.

"It was hauling butt," Purdy said of the Ford. "I slammed on my brakes."

Times researcher Shirl Kennedy contributed to this report. Tamara El-Khoury can be reached at (727) 445-4181 or tel-khoury@sptimes.com.