Crime

Police Suspect Medical Episode in Death of South Pasadena Driver

By Abby Baker

Deputies on the Major Accident Investigation Team responded to a call of a vehicle that crashed into a row of bushes in South Pasadena overnight on Monday, June 28.

Investigators identified the driver, Todd Garner, 54, after he slowly came to a stop along 1238 Pasadena Ave. S.

“It appears Garner suffered a medical episode while driving,” read a press release from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. “The vehicle traveled slowly across the northbound lanes where it came to a stop against a row of hedges.”

Garner was reported to be slumped over the steering wheel, unresponsive, when his 2004 Ford Taurus stopped.

Witnesses attempted life-saving techniques on Garner before Pasadena Fire Rescue arrived and transported him to Palms of Pasadena Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Speed and impairment do not appear to be factors in the crash, investigators said.