On January 4th, Chantcey Williams, 35, and his fiancé, Seletha Jackson, were returning to Tampa after attending an Orlando Magic game in Orlando. They were traveling on I-4.
According to report from the Florida Highway Patrol, the vehicle with Williams and Jackson was heading west on I-4 at a high rate of speed. A witness reported that the vehicle changed lanes from the center lane to the outside lane, moving around a van.
At that point, Williams lost control of the vehicle, causing it to spin across the lanes and enter the center grass media leading with the passenger side. The vehicle then began to overturn, striking the metal guardrail.
The witness reported that the vehicle overturned over the guardrail, causing the top driver’s side to grate along the top side of the guardrail. It came to a final rest on its roof in the eastbound median side of I-4.
Williams was pronounced dead on the scene and Jackson was transported to a local hospital. [private]Williams would have turned 36 on January 16th.
Jackson said she had fallen asleep during the return trip to Tampa, and when she woke up, they had been in an accident.
“All I remember is hearing the car screeching. That’s what woke me up. The car then felt like it flipped a few times.
“When it stopped, someone came up to help us. I remember being pulled out of the car. When they pulled Chantcey out, I thought he was still breathing. I was taken to the hospital, and after I arrived, they told me he had been killed.”
Williams and Jackson had been seeing each other for 7 months, and had attended a Magic game just before Thanksgiving. Ms. Jackson said they really had fun together.
Services for Chantcey Williams will be held this Saturday, 1 p.m., at Northside M. B. Church on 40th Street.[/private]
