Crash kills woman riding scooter in the dark

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A woman riding an electric scooter was killed late Sunday night after being hit by a car. It happened in Town 'N' Country on Sheldon Road, near Hamilton Boulevard.

Deputies say 20-year-old Isabel Alarcon Mateus was operating the electric Razor scooter. They say the scooter was in the inside lane, did not have rear lights and was not legal to be operating on the street.

Deputies say another driver didn't see her until it was too late. His car hit Mateus' scooter, throwing her from it. Mateus died at the hospital from her injuries.

Sadly, this was not the only crash over the weekend involving a vehicle that was neither street legal, nor equipped with lights.

Early Saturday morning in Spring Hill, the Florida Highway Patrol says three people in a golf cart were killed when a Jeep crashed into them from behind. A fourth person was taken to the hospital in critical condition. The golf cart had no tail lights.
 
"We were sitting inside the house and all of a sudden we heard just an explosion," said neighbor Max Roush.

Gene Boudreau, the father of Jennifer Boudreau, who was killed, said to FOX 13, "Jennifer's mother told them last week, the guy that owned the golf cart, why don't you guys put some lights on that thing because people are speeding all around this area here."
 
These are just two unfortunate reminders of why Florida strictly regulates what vehicles can and can't be the on the road. While some motor scooters are street legal, if registered, the electric Razor scooters can only be operated on private property.

Golf carts can only be driven on roads designated for them, between sunrise and sunset. And, if local governments allow for night driving, carts must have headlights, brake lights, turn signals and a windshield.

In the both of the crashes, investigators say they do not suspect alcohol played a role.