COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – A Naples man is dead after he was hit by an SUV on Collier Boulevard and Capri Boulevard just north of Marco Island on Tuesday.
The Florida Highway Patrol confirmed 62-yer-old Dwain Naftal died Tuesday afternoon at the intersection. Friends said he worked as a roadside mechanic and was helping someone in the northbound left-turn lane of Collier Boulevard when a 58-year-old woman driving southbound in an SUV swerved over a median, hit, and killed him.
The driver of the SUV, a Naples woman, lost control and hit the median and the Naples man, troopers said. The man was pronounced dead on scene and the woman driving the SUV was taken to Physicians Regional Hospital with minor injuries.
Naftal started out as a tow truck driver out of Marco Island, friends told NBC2. More recently, he became a Mechanical Troubleshooter” and Emergency Vehicle Assistant. That’s what brought him to the intersection Tuesday afternoon
“Here’s a stranded motorist, Dwain is trying to help and then the vehicle loses control and he must not have had any time to react,” friend, Scott Schilke said.
Schilke said he was expecting a call to meet up with Naftal that afternoon. But it never came.
“All of the sudden you start hearing about road blockages on 951 and there’s been a tragedy,” Schilke said.
Schilke said he is heartbroken.
“This is another tragedy that highlights how dangerous it is on the side of the road,” he said, “He’s a local hero. We’ve lost our hero now. We will never get him back,” he said.
FHP’s Traffic Homicide Unit is continuing to investigate the crash. They said charges are pending for the SUV driver.
Collier Boulevard was shut down in both directions for hours at Capri Boulevard, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
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