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Father asks commissioners for safety changes after son's fatal crash

Posted at 6:09 PM, Oct 09, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-09 18:09:36-04

Dan Powers waited nervously in the Manatee County Commission chambers for his turn to speak.  He spoke for three minutes about the circumstances surrounding his son Matthew’s death.

The teen was traveling down SR-64 with his friend Chase Coyner last month. Their vehicle was hit by another car as they were making a left turn.  

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“The dangers of state road 64 are well known to those who travel it,” said Powers.

Powers asked commissioners to slow the growth in the eastern portion of Manatee County.

“They need to slow down the pace of the development, let the safety improvements catch up before they move forward with development again,” said Powers.

FDOT crews plan to install a roundabout on the portion of State Road 64 near the crash site, but Powers would like something to be done immediately.

“Everybody knows its only a matter of time. This time it was us, next time it’ll be someone else,” said Powers.

A few of the commissioners told Powers that they plan to meet with him privately about this safety issue.