On Wednesday, January 27, 2021, around 10:20 a.m., a witness surveying orange groves in the area of Belleview Drive and 11th Street in Lake Wales observed a single vehicle that had crashed and come to a stop well off the roadway. The witness contacted PCSO and traffic deputies arrived to initiate the investigation.
According to the preliminary evidence, it appears the driver of the 2004 green Subaru Forrester, 19-year-old Isela Flores of Frostproof, was heading to work at the Walmart in Lake Wales during the early morning hours when for unknown reasons she failed to negotiate the curve on Belleview, approximately 1,200 feet east of 11th Street South. The Subaru was heading eastbound and went straight through the curve, off of the roadway onto the north shoulder, sideswiped a tree, went airborne, down an embankment, and landed on the railroad tracks. The Subaru rolled over and entrapped Flores. The car was unable to be seen by anyone driving on the road, due to its position down the embankment and being hidden by trees. She was extricated by first responders when they arrived on-scene, with very critical injuries.
According to her family, Flores left home around 5:00 a.m. to go to work at Walmart in Lake Wales. It is unknown at what time the crash occurred, and deputies are fairly certain she was rendered unconscious and unable to call for help. Heavy fog was reported in the area early that morning, and it was dark at 5:00 a.m. There are no streetlights on that stretch of the roadway. The investigation is ongoing. Flores is in the Trauma Intensive Care Unit at LRHMC with very critical injuries.
